


Children of Eden: Savior

by juuten



Series: Children of Eden [2]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, M/M, Supernatural Elements, Tragic Romance, human!soonyoung, vampire!mingyu
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-01-07 05:43:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18404276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juuten/pseuds/juuten
Summary: The human boy with the frosty blue hair just might be the savior Joshua's been looking for.





	1. Chapter 1

 

                                                                                           

 Protect your brother. Find your savior.

 

 

 

 

_A thousand times we die in one life. We crumble, break, and tear apart until the layers of illusion are burned away and all that is left, is the truth of who and what we really are._

 

_-Teal Scott_

 

 

 

 

 

Hong Jisoo did not fear death. 

 

He had already died once before, almost a thousand years ago. 

 

But he did fear what came after death. 

 

Jisoo had only four siblings left. He wondered what would happen to them once he was gone. How long would they manage to stay alive, before the other families bled them and burned them out of spite? 

 

He wondered if Seungcheol would survive long enough to find a mate. He was the oldest and the strongest of them all, built to last until the end of time, but Seungcheol possessed a fragile heart, and Jisoo knew that loneliness would eventually be his great destroyer.

 

He wondered if Han Geng would rescue Tzuyu. The former King of China had seen potential in her many years ago. With his wisdom and guidance, Jisoo could only hope his sister would become Queen of Taiwan some day. 

 

He wondered if Minnie’s friends from the council would take her in and protect her. Her pack of tight-knit females were a clever brood. Surely, they could convince their makers of Nicha’s worth and spare her.

 

Then, there was his brother, Mingyu - their youngest, their dearest, their weakest. 

 

Out of all his siblings, Jisoo thought of Mingyu the most, feared for him the most. 

 

What would happen to Mingyu once he was dead? 

 

Jisoo could only conjure the worst possible thoughts.

 

Maybe he’d been thinking too highly of himself this entire time. 

 

Everything he’d planned from the very beginning had been going so smoothly, so seamlessly it was almost laughable, and the winsome vampire had assumed he’d have enough time to finish what he started.

 

He knew that the game always came with complications, and this time, he had been cornered into a cul-de-sac. 

 

It was expected though, given the circumstances. Joshua was just sad he didn’t get to do _one last thing_. 

 

“Joshuji…” Jeonghan muttered painfully, clutching his bleeding side as tears smeared his beguiling face. “Joshuji, it’s not your fault. It’s okay. It’s going to be okay…”

 

He stopped struggling against his captor and guiltily stared back at his crying lover sprawled on the floor. 

 

“You can rest now,” Jeonghan said softly. “Don’t worry about anything. Just rest for now…”

 

He looked at all the weeping faces surrounding him, feeling his own tears start running down his cheeks. 

 

The vampire then met the red eyes of his horror-stricken brother, memorizing every minute detail of Mingyu’s features one last time and holding the image of their youngest close to his dead heart. 

 

“Let go, Joshuji… someday, we’ll all be together again…”

 

Joshua sighed deeply, before smiling gratefully at his beloved angel. 

 

 _What a beautiful lie_ , he thought silently to himself. Still, his cherry-stained lips remained curled because finally….

 

Finally, he could rest.

 

Joshua's glinting, grey eyes took on the ugliest hue of purple, and his body succumbed to the ill curse bestowed upon him by their Great Vampire King of the East. He allowed himself to be devoured by Hypnos, slowly descending into a realm unknown...from which he can never awaken. 

 

His time was up.

 

This was his penance, and this was his end.

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

 

 

 

 

_A thousand times we die in one life. We crumble, break, and tear apart until the layers of illusion are burned away and all that is left, is the truth of who and what we really are._

 

_-Teal Scott_

 

 

 

 

The witching hour was aurora for the wraith, an arcane nightmare far from the pretty depiction of Asteria's sanctum. All the celestial stars in the heavens had gone astray, with only Luna to guide those who’d lost their way in the darkness.

 

The dead, with vermilion in their eyes, thrived beneath the Cimmerian sky, and the blood of the living was the source of their vigor.

 

Of all the monsters that besieged the night, there was none more frightening than the primordial Lamia.

 

For centuries, they took on many names.

 

Lilitu. Strigoi. Vetalas. Guajona. 

 

Motetz Dam. Shtriga. Mandurugo. Leyak.

 

The Hellions of Nox.

 

The Children of Eden.

 

Vampires.

 

For thousands of years, they reigned over all creatures.

 

They had been gods and deities to a world of powerless humans, free to eat and kill their vassals without demarcation nor retribution. Their partisans crafted art and literature in their unworldly image, products of adroit presented to them as tributes and paean offerings for their divinity and omnipotence.

 

But their ancestors, the progeny of the Original vampires, grew much too rapacious, and their obsessive desire for dominance and supremacy became their downfall.

 

The myriad of vampire wars led to an imbalance of living and dead. Countless of lives, both vampire and human, were lost to the bloody battles. Before they knew it, their mortal counterparts had vastly diminished in number, without enough earthly sustenance nor time to quickly recuperate their losses. 

 

The newly crowned Great Kings of the East and West feared that their kind would soon go extinct because of this disparity. Without the blood of humans, famine would stake its claim on them. Without the living, there could be no life for the dead. So the kings chose to enshroud their existence from the day dwellers and disappear into the shadowy refuge of the night.

 

There were vampires that opposed of the new rule, unwilling to give up their power over their lands, and the divergent were executed for their mutiny and disobedience.

 

Thus, the Children of Eden faded into obscurity and became an eerie thing of myths and legends.

 

And though they were beings meant to be feared, vampires were not immune to the same unpleasant emotion.

 

They too had insidious beings to dread and cower from.

 

Kim Hyunah, the Queen of Seoul's most loyal death dealer, was one of those bêtes noires, along with her newest fledgling - Dino, who wielded the power of nightmares. 

 

The Ancient Kim Taeyeon's enchanting daughter, Irene, was another bane for many. With Hela's endowment in her hands - the formidable touch of death, there was none who’d dare to skirmish with her. 

 

Even the beneficent King of China - Zhang Yixing - a vampire so compassionate and so cordial, was someone not to be provoked at all costs.

 

They all possessed powers that others envied and revered - either vampiric or diplomatic, but longed for and trembled from no differently.

 

But even with their domination, none of them could ever compare to the monstrosity in the House of Goo Hara. The most terrifying of them all - the anathema of every vampire in their world - was her second eldest son.

 

He who had no other gift but a brilliant mind, more treacherous and cunning than any of his predecessors. Cruel and repulsive and so different from his deceitful cloak of piety and grace...

 

He who felt no trepidation for any nemesis that stood in his way…

 

He who arrogantly stood amongst his brethren despite the atrocious crimes he’d committed against their own…

 

He who had no qualms in watching his own maker die...

 

He who purloined the stars above, ensnared to glitter and twinkle in his own grey orbs - the vampire with the starlight gaze...

 

His name was Hong Joshua.

 

And he had no shame in how psychotic and wicked he was…because to play the game of conquests, to manipulate those with higher powers and feeble minds, to carry out his every unrighteous plan...he had to be. He had to be more diabolical and hated than any other, so that he could crush his enemies beneath his feet and burn them alive with no misgivings.

 

Beneath the blackened skies, a grandiose estate stood tall and proud under greenery and mystique. 

 

The curator of the mansion, whose name had once been Jisoo, peered through the glass window of his maker's bedroom. His eyes glistened in unholy mirth - a glimpse into the thoughts he would never speak and the secrets he would never share. 

 

His gangly arms held what was left of his dearly departed mother - ashes of an ancient vampire who only loved herself and, in her selfishness, almost doomed her children with the same fate as Gehenna. 

 

“Mother, I hope you won’t stay mad at me forever.”

 

Joshua cradled the delicate vessel against himself, pale cheek resting atop the metallic cover. 

 

“I will tell you everything I’ve kept from you, and when I am done, you will know the truth. You will know what is to come and what will become of your children. Maybe then, you will find peace...and maybe you can forgive me.”

 

The winsome vampire smiled to himself, as he closed his glinting eyes. “But first, we must go back in time. You must hear the most important part of the story. Let me share this beautiful tale with you, mother. Let me tell you how I found _him_ …”

 

 

* * *

 

 

_Seungcheol picked up a rectangular-shaped electronic device off the couch of their maker’s living room. “Joshua, is this yours?”_

_The winsome vampire approached his older brother, looking down at the scratched up MP3 player that was deposited into his palm. “No,” he answered insipidly, eyeing the old gadget in antipathy. His fingers adeptly turned the device over, noticing the messy handwriting penned over a strip of adhesive tape._

_Soonyoung._

_Joshua hit the rusty play button on the dilapidated gadget and disconnected the antiquated earphones on its last leg. The melody of an unfamiliar song instantly played, filling the whole room with a lively beat._

_Baby you, I look back in time_

_The times I’ve spent dreaming_

_Getting closer to that dream_

_I spent those days in tears_

_Engraved in the footsteps I’ve taken_

_Wherever we are in the world_

_As long as we trust each other,_

_The moment we meet_

_Highlight-_

_He stopped the song with a light press on the pause button, chortling at the hopelessly romantic lyrics. “A love song. How…quaint.”_

_Oh, dear, what had his youngest brother been doing these past few months?_

_“I’ll keep this safe,” Joshua said through upward-curled, cherry-tainted lips. “Mingyu will definitely want this back when he returns.”_

 

It only took a dying MP3 player for Joshua to find out about his brother’s new pet.

 

Kwon Soonyoung. 

 

Born in Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do.

 

20 years old.

 

Dance Major at Hanyang University.

 

Moved to Seoul one year ago. 

 

Lives in an apartment above a Chinese restaurant called Feng Che.

 

Mother, father, and sister perished in a house fire twelve years ago. 

 

Kwon Soonyoung was the only survivor. 

 

No other known relatives. 

 

Not a vampire….

 

…but a human.

 

“How interesting,” Joshua remarked gleefully, eyes fixated on the picture of a human boy with frosty blue hair. 

 

His careless little brother’s pet was not a vampire fledgling like he’d first presumed. It was no surprise though. He’d always known Mingyu absolutely hated the mundane, and there was nothing more boring to him than vampires and their stagnation.  

 

But what was so special about _this_ human boy?

 

The photograph, along with the file in his hands, had been given to him courtesy of Ahn Heeyeon, or Hani as she’d prefer. The vampire woman loved espionage as much as an authentic Hermes bag, and money had never been a worry for Joshua. 

 

However, Kwon Soonyoung’s files were painfully scant, and he would have to tell Jeonghan to pay their darling Hani a little visit to fix this. There were no official adoption papers after the death of his family nor were there any records of him being taken in by orphanages. The boy only showed up in different towns over the years, never staying anywhere for too long. One written statement, seven years ago, from a couple in Ilsan-gu claimed that he had beaten their child into a coma. Another report from an officer in Daegu contained eyewitness accounts of the boy stealing from food stands during a night market event, just four years prior. Soonyoung hardly finished high school in Suncheon and had to fake a diploma to get into Hanyang. 

 

Joshua couldn’t help but laugh. “No wonder Mingyu wouldn’t leave a pretty thing like you alone. You’re just a magnet for trouble, aren’t you?”

 

The plights of humanity were always the same. They hungered, and they cried. They killed, and they died. Such was the tragedy of their short existence. Kwon Soonyoung was no different. He was just a normal, suffering human who just happened to have caught the attention of Joshua’s youngest brother. 

 

Soonyoung was what Mingyu’s damned soul craved - humanity…the shred of his former self he’d lost when he’d been turned. All vampires were once human, and that mortal side of them was what kept them from turning into vicious, mindless beasts. 

 

Their past humanness was what made them _love_.

 

But Mingyu?

 

Mingyu was an anomaly who failed to love their maker the way she wanted him to.

 

Joshua smiled brightly. He was thrilled that his brother was such a disappointment. As cruel as that sounded, he loved their youngest just the way he was.  But that did not mean he would allow his brother to continue his depraved courtship.

 

Mingyu’s human pet was only going to lead him to demise…lead their whole family to demise, and Joshua was definitely not going to let that happen. He would protect his brother and all their family members no matter what. 

 

Staring at the broken device in his hand, the winsome vampire felt no hesitation in planning Kwon Soonyoung’s murder. There was no room for pity in his corrupt heart, especially for ephemeral beings who threatened their survival. 

 

“ _Were you not human before too, Jisoo-hyung? Were you not a human boy once, just like him?_ ” Jackson’s euphonious voice pervaded his rumination, haunting him and speaking of what his late brother would have said had he still been alive. 

 

Joshua frowned.

 

_A human boy…just like Soonyoung…_

 

There was little that he could recall from his own mortal life. 

 

There hadn’t been much to remember as an orphan boy living in squalor, abandoned by his own mother on the streets of Songdo - capital of the newly risen Goryeo empire at the time. 

 

He had lived his dreary, youthful days in filth, knowing only the pangs of hunger in his stomach and the stench of mud and waste from where he slept. 

 

Jisoo had been a scraggly little thing with no name, malnourished to the point of near-death, feral like the animals he fought for scraps of food - already a dead thing deep down inside, even before he had been turned.

 

He received no mercy from the people who passed by his emaciated body day by day. The slave traders wouldn’t even kidnap him, because no one in their right mind would ever purchase a dying thrall. They all saw him the exact same way - insignificant and purposeless, a blunder of the cruel gods meant to become a forgotten speck of dust in this vast universe. 

 

They had all been so horribly wrong.

 

Because on the night he was destined to die, an angel had saved him.

 

An angel with long black hair and piercing grey eyes, dressed in robes of green and gold, plucked him from Thanatos’s grasp and embraced his squalid body with a tenderness that could only be described as love.

 

This angel, this immaculate being, had shown him love in his most hideous state.

 

“I won’t let you go like this,” the long-haired man whispered to him sweetly in their ancient language, whilst carrying him away from his deathbed. “There is still so much you must do…”

 

When Jisoo woke up the next day, the angel had long gone and left him in the care of a kind doctor, but not before guaranteeing the amelioration of his health with five satchels of gold.

 

He lived a quiet life with the elderly physician for a few short years, learning how to read and write and always wondering when his angel would return.

 

Shortly after his caretaker died, Jisoo found himself on the streets again.

 

Only this time life was so much easier. He was smarter now. His limbs were longer, and he was faster and stronger than ever before. He found his livelihood in the pockets of weary travelers, sometimes looting them with his prodigious stealth, while other times murdering them for their milk and honey in a secluded alley. 

 

But one fateful night, his plunder had gone awry. His intended victim had turned into his assailant and stabbed him through the heart with a dagger.

 

As he laid on the ice cold ground, the heavens dark with fresh snow falling, Jisoo closed his eyes and called for his angel - his very soul crying out for salvation and deliverance from imminent quietus. 

 

The long-haired man’s face was still so wonderfully vivid in his memories. The clarity had never dulled, even after so many years, because how could someone ever forget a creature so beautiful and so good? 

 

His angel had not come to save him though. 

 

"Do you wish to live, my sweet boy?"

 

Jisoo's tired brown eyes cracked open. His body was far too weak to rise from the terra that would soon be his grave. He coughed and choked on his own blood, scarlet liquid seeping from his parted lips. 

 

It was a woman that had come for him. She was ghastly pale, skin almost as white as her hanbok, and her eyes were the same grey color his angel’s orbs had been.

 

"Do you wish to drink with the gods and live on this earth until the end of time?”

 

He had never sought eternal life, but to die like this, lying in the filth he'd been born in, he could not accept it.

 

Jisoo couldn't bare it. He could not leave this godforsaken place without seeing his angel one last time - his great liberator, more divine than the woman before him. 

 

"Yes..." Jisoo whispered with his very last breath, before his heart could give out.

 

Goo Hara had been her name, and to him, she bestowed the cognomen of Hong Jisoo. To him, she granted life-everlasting…and the burden of becoming her Cyprian. 

 

But even after he’d left most of his human memories behind, he could never allow himself to forget the angel who'd saved him. He had known then, after he’d been turned, that he needed to do everything he could to find the long-haired man. Immortality only served to fuel his conquest, and Jisoo swore to himself that he would reunite with his angel again someday.

 

“Joshuji…”

 

He stowed Kwon Soonyoung’s papers in a drawer and sat beside the bed, gently taking Jeonghan’s hand into his own and cradling it against his cheek. “My Cheonsa finally decides to wake up…”

 

The platinum-haired vampire rolled on his side to lean closer. “You know you don’t have to wait for me to wake up each time.”

 

“I know…but every time you close your eyes, I fear that they will never open.”

 

Vampires had no use for sleep. Drowse was one of the human inflictions that death had freed them from. 

 

But for Yoon Jeonghan, sleep was reparation. 

 

His horrible maker - Yoon Bora - was a woman much like Goo Hara, but she had been much worse at making wise decisions, and with her flawed judgments and poor choices in allies, she had condemned her own fledgling with the malady of sleep. 

 

It was a debilitating disease, beginning with sporadic moments of unconsciousness until it ended with destructive lengths of torpor. 

 

Jeonghan was now sleeping for days on end, his comatose body secretly tucked away in Joshua’s room. Eventually, the beguiling vampire would no longer awaken, and his body would slowly disintegrate into ash.

 

Joshua didn’t know what he would do when that day came. 

 

They were the only two left in the world who knew about Jeonghan’s sleeping sickness. Joshua didn’t need anyone else finding out about his angel’s secret. As far as his family knew, the beds he’d forced them all to keep in their rooms were for hedonistic and venereal purposes only. 

 

“You’ve already done so much for me, Joshuji. Do not dampen your spirit if you cannot find a cure to my affliction,” Jeonghan stated. “This is my penance. Even Xu Minghao cannot help me.”

 

His other hand reached for Joshua’s ear, straightening the cross on his helix piercing. “You still have so much to do. I do not wish to burden you with my problems any longer.”

 

“You were never a burden,” he responded genuinely. The winsome vampire pressed his lips against Jeonghan’s hand. “I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for you.”

 

Jeonghan chuckled, grinning jovially despite his weakened state. “I can still remember how small you had been…how adorable you were when you could still fit in my arms.”

 

“I don’t know how you even stomached how disgusting I was.”

 

“And I will tell you again and again until you finally accept it. I loved you then, and I love you now. No matter what happens, I will never stop loving you.”

 

Joshua felt the sting of tears in his eyes, but he would not let them fall. It was difficult for him to allow himself the expression of sadness, as well as any other emotion that revealed the pain in his heart. He clenched his jaw tight, before grinning lucidly at his lover.

 

The blonde vampire beamed at him in return. “I had a dream again…” 

 

His jaw clenched even tighter, and his painful grin grew wider. “Tell me all about it.” 

 

“It was amazing. We were holding hands…looking at the ocean, _underneath the sun’s rays_ …crystal blue everywhere. In the sky, in the water…” the platinum-haired vampire evoked. “It felt so real, Joshuji.”

 

Joshua stood up quickly and walked to his dresser, stopping to peer at his reflection in the mirror. Unsightly, shimmering amethyst gems stared back at him in derision, taunting him without respite. 

 

“It will never happen.” 

 

He had always hated Jeonghan’s dreams. They were always twisted with gratifying imagery, filled with lies that made Jeonghan seek things that weren't meant to be.

 

“I saw _you_ in my dream, and _you_ were real,” his lover reminded him as he sat up on their shared bed. 

 

“That was different. That was plausible. But the ocean? Sunlight? Jeonghan, those visions are a far cry from the reality we live in.”

 

He had not meant to be so strident, but there was no sense in dallying with fantasies, especially in their caliginous world - too dark and wicked for the romance of sunshine and Adam’s ale. 

 

“You’re right,” Jeonghan capitulated, wrapping his arms around the auburn-haired male and resting his chin against the spindly vampire’s shoulder. “You’re right. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m sorry, Joshuji.”

 

Of all the vampires living in their house, only Jeonghan truly understood him. He was the only one who knew Joshua’s odious heart and loved him in spite of every appalling thing he’s done. 

 

Jeonghan knew everything about him, all his secrets and thoughts and schemes, or at least, that’s what Joshua wanted him to believe. 

 

There was so much he could not tell even his angel - his most trusted confidant, because no one else should ever have to bear the weight of his ill-fated onus. No one needed to worry about him and the things he needed to finish. 

 

He didn’t need to involve his lover nor any of his siblings in this abominable game. 

 

“You can never hurt me, Cheonsa,” Joshua answered, their eyes meeting in their reflections on the mirror. 

 

“Have you found the boy yet?”

 

The winsome vampire lips curled slightly. “It didn’t take much to find him. Apparently, he was an employee of mine at some point.”

 

His lover’s gaze dropped. As always, Joshua would have eventually found out sooner or later. “Your brother had been quite ruthless with his threats. I do apologize, Joshuji.”

 

“It’s alright, Cheonsa.” Joshua turned around and smiled. “I’ll put Mingyu back in his place soon enough.”

 

“So you’re going to kill the human?”

 

“Of course,” he answered casually. “Before the situation gets out of hand. I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to my little brother.”

 

“And I suppose you’ve already come up with a plan?”

 

Joshua nodded, a mischievous glint perverting his eyes. “I will be needing a bit of help from our… _friends_. Mingyu will be devastated when he comes back from Iceland, but he’ll get over it eventually.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Joshua smiled charmingly at the imposing man before him. The nonnative vampire was much like a living effigy - sculpted to the epitome of pulchritude. He was tall and striking, well-dressed in his royal blue Kiton suit. His hair shined in the color of crushed garnet, the length covering his ears and roughly touching his shoulders. He sat upright with his chin held high, already poised like the king he was expected to become. In his smoldering eyes laid porpoise and pique, for he was not fond of being in Goo Hara's abode.

 

The man, Wen Junhui, was the only son of Kim Heechul - a vampire of over five millennia and perennial lover of the former King of China.

 

The ancient had found Junhui on a visit to the Guangdong province of China, long before Kublai Khan seized the area for his Mongolian expansion. He had been walking with his beloved Han Geng through the crowded streets of Shenzhen, when he encountered a young man that bore his exact image. Unlike Heechul, however, Junhui had not been handsomely covered in fine silk and perfume. He was withered and sickly in his tattered clothes, begging on the streets for any sort of subsistence. But what had deeply pained the ancient's heart had been the sight of Junhui's crippled legs, shriveled and contorted beyond the help of practitioners. In that spur of a moment, Heechul had decided to take the deformed boy under his wing, and after Junhui's transformation, he became his father's heir apparent. 

 

Joshua knew of all this only from his extensive intel gathering. He was not privy to the China-Line's secrets, but that never stopped him from uncovering the vespers of their house. 

 

Wen Junhui had always been one of his adversaries, with the way the foreign vampire would meddle with his affairs - specifically, his ‘business transactions’ with the healer Xu Minghao.

 

“How nice of you to visit. So happy to see you again," Joshua further nettled his guest.

 

Junhui glowered from the white sofa chair he was sitting in. "Save the pleasantries for your witless company."

 

Joshua chuckled, thoroughly amused by his companion's irritation. "You talk as if we are not friends."

 

"That's because _we are not friends_."

 

"You know me, and I know you. Our families help each other through our troubles. We exchange gifts every now and then. How are we not friends?" he expressed through fabricated gloom.

 

 Junhui rolled his eyes, knowing exactly how two-faced Joshua had always been. "Your colorfully twisted words cannot paint over your black lies. You trick Minghao into 'helping' you in exchange for 'gifts' he does not need."

 

"Did you not like the hallow ring Minghao bartered for you? It's been in our family for _ages_. He was so excited to give it to you."

 

"I have no use for your worthless antiquities,” he spat savagely.

 

Joshua faked a surprised gasp, his acting deliberately worse than a novice thespian. "But it's suppose to protect you from _evil_ -"

 

Junhui surged forward, grasping Joshua's tunic collar and roaring at him in anger. "You fool Minghao into using his powers for your sick games! You deceive him into acting as your galley! You abuse his kindness, and you lie to him without remorse! You are despicable, Hong Joshua! You are worse than the Devil himself! You have no shame in using others, just like your mother!"

 

The winsome vampire only stared back at him with boredom. "Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much? I liked you so much better when you could not speak Hangul."

 

His lithe body was harshly thrown on the pristine floor of the study.

 

Junhui bared his sharp canines, as he growled and crouched over his foe, hand wrapping around Joshua's throat. "I should kill you right now and rid this world of your wretchedness!"

 

Goo Hara's fledgling simply stared back, even as his diamond skin cracked under Junhui's grip. 

 

It was quite humorous really - how the Chinese vampire was actually trying to kill him. As the stepchild of a former king, Junhui should have known better than to attempt something like this in another vampire’s house. He was fortunate that Joshua needed him to carry out his plans, because it would have been all too easy to turn the tables on Junhui. 

 

After all, one strangled cry from his lips would have Seungcheol bursting through the doors in a split second, and no one has ever won against Goo Hara’s eldest in combat. 

 

But that was an agenda for another time. 

 

"Ah...but then how will we save Minghao?” Joshua spoke slyly.

 

The foreign man immediately stilled. "What did you say?"

 

Joshua smirked through cherry-stained lips. “Do you know where your Xiao Hao Hao is right now?"

 

Junhui’s brows furrowed. “He’s at his dance studio in Jongno-gu."

 

“Are you absolutely certain though? Because I heard, from a _very_ reliable source, that he’s been canoodling with a human boy behind your back.”

 

"What _human boy_?" Junhui sneered, red eyes narrowing at Joshua’s crooked smile.

 

"Oh, so I guess you don't really care about your brother like you say you do."

 

Junhui lifted him up by the throat, only to slam him back down on the marble floor. "Enough of your bullshit, Hong Joshua! Who is this human? Did you hire him to seduce Minghao?”

 

"No, Junhui,” the winsome vampire chuckled, ignoring the taste of blood in the back of his mouth. “This human is a nuisance both you and I must deal with. Our family’s youngest, Mingyu, has also been enticed by this catamite. He is a threat to both our families. We must act now if we want to save our brothers from certain death."

 

Like Joshua, Kim Heechul's eldest child loved his siblings. 

 

But unlike Joshua, Wen Junhui loved his youngest brother with a passion that was nothing close to familial. 

 

And if there was anything Joshua enjoyed exploiting more than secrets…it was sweet, sweet love and all its ugly thorns. 

 

The Chinese vampire's eyes softened and returned to their porpoise tint once more. His grip loosened as his pink lips parted with a defeated mutter. "How?"

 

Deep in his mind, Joshua laughed and howled dementedly.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> COE: Savior is heeeeerrrreeeeeee!!!!! 
> 
> Guys, I struggled so much with starting part 2. The intro was, of course, a pre-planned parallel to what happened in Penance, but starting the actual content was really really realllllyyyy hard for some reason. Nothing was just fitting right, and I was getting really frustrated. But i guess with the way I write, I have to kinda 'feel' the words before I'm satisfied. It's hard to explain, but anyway, this fic will still be focused on Joshua but I'm still going to shove in copious amounts of soongyu in here, especially after all the penance stuff is out of the way. There's going to be a lot of back and forth between past and present so i can get the Joshua and Soongyu parts in order properly. Also, more junhao!!! Jun was supposed to have a bigger part in penance but i just decided to let him kinda shine more here in savior. He's got a lot to deal with, minghao-wise and family-wise. Like i feel bad for him.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Comments and kudos are very much appreciated!
> 
> Also I have a twitter now! Say hi or follow! :D https://twitter.com/jiyuu_tennouji


	3. Chapter 3

 

 

 

  

_A thousand times we die in one life. We crumble, break, and tear apart until the layers of illusion are burned away and all that is left, is the truth of who and what we really are._

 

_-Teal Scott_

 

 

 

 

 

_Seuncheol’s eyes blazed in scorching red. He trudged across the room, snarling like a ferocious lion - ready to tear his claws into the prey that was his youngest brother._

 

_“What were you thinking, Mingyu?! You wounded our master! You could have lost control and killed him!” Seungcheol roared._

 

_Mingyu refused to lift his head, even as the eldest vampire spouted out curse words and insults in his face._

 

_“How can we trust you around him?! He will never be safe here! Not with a monster like you in this house!”_

 

_Soonyoung quickly rushed in between them, his body shielding Mingyu behind him protectively. “Seungcheol, please don’t!”_

 

_A growl erupted from the eldest’s throat, frustration rearing its ugly head as he struggled to compose himself in front of their vulnerable suzerain. “Do not let spoil him, master! He disrespected you! Mingyu bit you without your permission!”_

 

_There was no anger in the boy’s face, not even hate. There was only despondency in his brown eyes for Seungcheol’s actions._

 

_“Mingyu just wanted me to come back, and I’m here now because of him. I’m here for you and all your brothers and sisters.” The human took a step forward, peering up at the vampire with fraught and woe. “So please don’t call Mingyu a monster ever again.”_

 

_The ebony-haired vampire sighed, wincing as he willed his irritation away, but he did not fight the human’s bidding. Even though it had not been a vampiric command, the words burned at him until his mind conceded._

 

_Red slowly faded back into dull grey. “Forgive me, master. It will not happen again.”_

 

_“Promise me,” Soonyoung adjured softly, taking the eldest’s large hand in his own two smaller ones. The human’s touch was incredibly soft, so warm against cold vampire skin. “Don’t ever hurt any of your siblings again.”_

 

_Seungcheol receded, head hung low. “I promise…I will never harm my brothers nor sisters ever again.”_

 

_The vow left him winded. Seungcheol had only ever known violence and verbal abuse as tools for discipline. After all, that was what he’d learned from Goo Hara, and he was only mimicking her awful parenting._

 

_But then there was that telluric, yet ethereal smile he received as recompense, one filled with languorous heat and affection. Soft and beautiful like the human who wore it on his lips with no dubious intentions._

 

_The beast that was Seungcheol’s temper abated instantaneously, and the eldest avoided their master’s gaze with uncharacteristic diffidence._

 

_If anyone had paid close attention, they would have seen something close to a smile on Seungcheol’s lips._

 

Joshua reveled in the fond memory replaying in his head. It was very much amusing, how his brother had turned softer than pudding from the human’s velvety words and breathtaking smile. It was expected, but it was still all so humorous.

 

Kwon Soonyoung - such a peculiar human he was. 

 

He was the perfect father anyone could ever ask for. Firm without impetuosity. Gentle without feebleness. Strong and vehement. Cogent but not forceful. Generous and loving through and through, so different from their selfish mother. 

 

So different from the monsters he was living with.

 

To think that Joshua had planned to kill the boy. Where would they all be now had he gone through with it?

 

Through pursed lips, he took a deep breath and frowned. 

 

Dead most likely. Or soon to be dismembered like their mother would have been.

 

“He treats us all so well, mother,” Joshua whispered to the ashes, setting the jar atop a sleek chiffonier. “It’s strange sometimes…how protective he is of us all. He’s very brave for a human. Very brave indeed.”

 

How he wished the boy had been born into the world sooner.

 

“The power Kwon Soonyoung holds…you have no idea how glorious it all is, mother. I don’t know how Mingyu hasn’t realized it yet…but then again, he never met Kim Yukwon, neither did Minnie nor Tzuyu. You never told them the story, so they wouldn’t know any better.”

 

Shrouded in the dark shadows of the night, Joshua rummaged through his dead maker’s dresser, searching for a long-forgotten scripture. He found his prize in the secret compartment of her jewelry box - Lilithian writing and rich vampire annals in handwritten text. 

 

“You were much too selfish, mother,” he stated out of spite, fingers tracing the engraved letters on the hardbound cover. 

 

_De Diis Et Heroibus_

 

“You wanted kingdoms and worlds at your feet, and I loved you enough to give them all to you, but still…still you wanted more. You wanted to become a conqueror, a monarch…a lover…a _wife_ …” his voice strained at the last word, heart wrenching with centuries of harbored pain.

 

“Even after I made you a queen…even after you became everything you ever wanted, it was still not enough. There was nothing that could satisfy you…” 

 

He flipped through the weathered pages with immense care, fingers light and gentle, so as not to destroy the fragile paper. There were no drawings nor pictures in the aged opus, but within the narratives and passages lied secrets unremembered and overlooked. 

 

Joshua, however, had unbosomed them all. 

 

_Capite Decimo Tertio - Kim Yukwon_

 

The winsome vampire’s lips curled dastardly. “But of all the things you wished to be…the one thing you could never become…was a _god_.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Joshua had the entirety of the house to himself that night.

 

Mingyu, Tuzyu, and Minnie were all on a leisurely vacation in Iceland with Kim Taehyung. He liked to imagine that they were all lounging in a blue lagoon somewhere in the south, even though that was a far cry from what was really happening. Still, he preferred to stick with the pleasant imagery of his three youngest siblings waddling around in a geothermal pool. 

 

Jeonghan and Lisa were attending one of Lee Hyorin’s parties, downing flutes of blood and exchanging secrets with intoxicated vampires in the middle of Gangnam. 

 

Seungcheol had been the hardest to get rid of. He was very much adamant on staying in for the night, given that no one would be there to protect his beloved brother if anything were to happen. 

 

But Joshua always got his way. 

 

“There’s been word of a variant hiding in Jung-gu. You should see for yourself if it’s true or not,” the auburn-haired vampire suggested way too pleasantly. “He goes by the name of Woozi these days. Sound familiar?”

 

Seungcheol’s eyes narrowed dangerously at his brother. “I do not need to concern myself with any variant.” 

 

“Are you sure? You don’t want Jihoon… _Uri Jihoonie_ to think that you don’t love him anymore, do you?”

 

_When the time comes, maybe you can join us and become Our Jihoonie…_

 

_Uri Jihoonie…U…ji…_

 

_Woozi_

 

“He’s the one who doesn’t want me, Joshua,” Seungcheol reminded him, words laced with a bitterness worse than the taste of balsam apples. “He’s the one who broke my heart.” 

 

“Indeed…that is true,” Joshua chortled, uncrossing his legs to lean forward from his seat on the arm chair. His eyes were wide and bright while he grinned wickedly. “That horrid little variant, Lee Jihoon…broke my oldest brother’s heart and left Korea…only to come back years later, _while our mother is absent_. For what might I ask? Such a mystery isn’t it, Seungcheol-ah?”

 

Whether Seungcheol had hurriedly left the house out of desperation or out of anger, Joshua didn’t care to know at the moment. He was only glad that their eldest had taken the bait and left before Wen Junhui arrived with their quarry. 

 

Their shared goal was simple - kill the human and cover up his murder. The plan to execute this had not taken Joshua much time to formulate.

 

Xu Minghao was the only person they truly needed to worry about.

 

Junhui was to forbid Minghao from leaving the house and to prevent him from warning anyone of their ploy to kill the human. That in itself was the biggest obstacle they had to overcome, but Joshua was confident that Junhui would succeed. 

 

Minghao was blinded by rose-colored lenses whenever he was around his stepbrother. His fervid emotions were almost comparable to how his father was so besotted with Junhui’s own sire. 

 

If the willowy vampire had to choose between his lover and his friend, it was more than obvious that Minghao would choose Junhui. 

 

Three knocks on the door reverberated through the household, and Joshua opened the black front door with a demonic grin. 

 

“How punctual of you, Junhui,” he said, stepping away to allow the Chinese vampire inside his home. “No wonder you are one of the queen’s favorites.”

 

Over Junhui’s shoulder was an unconscious male, hair dyed grey like moonstone on midnight black. 

 

The foreigner grumbled under his breath and practically tossed the human on the couch. 

 

Kwon Soonyoung’s body flopped over the white cushions, limbs flaccid and head landing on the crest rail. His lips were slightly parted, pinkish and delicate with every soft breath they delivered, and his grey bangs gently touched his wispy lashes and kohl-lined lids.

 

The photographs in Joshua’s files did him no justice. 

 

Without a doubt, the boy was beautiful despite his normal physiognomy. He was phenomenally gorgeous even as he peacefully slumbered, but it had been the unique scent of the mortal’s blood was that drew Joshua in. He could taste the sweetness with just the fragrance of it swirling in the air, coaxing him not to taste…

 

But to marvel…

 

He took a hesitant step back, a flash of confusion riddling his face. The feeling dissipated before Junhui could notice, and Joshua’s eyes glinted menacingly as he stared at the boy’s face. 

 

The gears in his head started turning again.

 

“I did as you said,” Junhui spat out irritably, straightening out his expensive clothes and brushing off the invisible dust on his shoulders. “The restaurant thinks he’s out on a delivery. If they call the police and give them the address he was sent to, the authorities won’t find anything but a condemned building. Nothing can be traced back to us.”

 

“And no one will bother looking for him, because he has no family to care for his disappearance…” Joshua finished, smiling happily at his undead contemporary. “Well done, Junhui. Now it’s time for me to do my part.”

 

Kim Heechul’s fledgling nodded, scrutinizing the sleeping human’s face one last time with great disdain. “I shall leave you to it then.”

 

But before he could step away from the impending crime scene, Joshua’s voice reeled him back in. 

 

“Wait.”

 

Junhui faced him with an annoyed glare, . “What? What more do you want from me?”

 

“ _Kiss him_ ,” Joshua spoke teasingly.

 

A look of disgust plagued the foreigner’s handsome features. “Why?”

 

“I need to ask him something before I rid him of this world…” Joshua explained simply, hand running through the silken, moonstone strands of Soonyoung’s hair. “My own magic is very limited, and I need to extract any bits of information I can before I end his miserable life. You understand, don’t you?”

 

“You’re despicable.”

 

Despite his repulsed utterance, Junhui grabbed hold of the boy’s chin and angrily meshed their lips together. 

 

There was no physical manifestation in Junhui’s power, but his gift was one of the most infallible in their world. 

 

They called it Verum Osculum - Candor’s Kiss, the first of its kind seen only in Wen Junhui. Any person the vampire kissed would speak the truth and nothing but the truth for an entire day. 

 

The kiss lasted for only a few seconds, and Junhui immediately pulled away to wipe at his lips. “There. Are you satisfied now, you sadistic voyeur?”

 

“Most thoroughly,” Joshua answered, eyes crinkling. “Off you go, Junhui. I’ll take care of everything.”

 

They shared no parting words as the Chinese vampire left the house, and finally, he was all alone with the human. 

 

“Wake up,” he whispered in the human’s ear.

 

Soonyoung’s body languidly moved into a sitting position against the backrest, and the moment he opened his brown eyes, the strangest emotions quickly filled Joshua’s dead heart. 

 

The boy remained in his seat, hands folded neatly on his lap, gawking straight ahead with his blank stare. He was in an induced trance, pliant and incapable of fighting his way out, but his presence was still an incredible force like no other - something created out of dark and light, dancing together to create an ocean tide of hegemony. The waves engulfed Joshua’s undying body in an ice cold flame, demanding him to fall upon his knees in acquiescence and veneration. 

 

The sudden whirlwind of sentiments reminded him of an ancient he’d once met many years ago - the vampire with the brightest smile, loved and feared for his gift. One look at _that man_ had brought tears to Joshua’s eyes, and one touch from the ancient had felt like a cleansing for his damned soul.

 

The ancient had been an incarnation of Ra, the essence and epitome of power in an age of chaos. 

 

 _That man_ was already dead though, and now, there was another. 

 

He’d read enough books and met enough ancients to know…to recognize…to exploit. 

 

Kwon Soonyoung was a power. He was _the power_ , safely entrapped within a human body…for the better of their kind and the unsuspecting mortals that roamed the earth with them.

 

No wonder Junhui had been so irritated. His lover had been canoodling with someone like _this_. Surely, he’d seen it too. He wouldn’t have been as angry as he was if he hadn’t.

 

“You’re making this much harder than it’s supposed to be,” Joshua sniggered, caressing the scar on the boy’s pearly cheek. “What is your name?”

 

The human’s lips parted without resistance. “Kwon Soonyoung.”

 

“How old are you, Kwon Soonyoung?” 

 

“Twenty.” 

 

“And where is your family?” Joshua continued probing malevolently.

 

“Dead,” his voice rung with a deep hollowness, rough with something akin to compunction. 

 

But what did the boy have to be guilty about?

 

“Who killed them?” the winsome vampire asked, his amused smile betraying the somberness of his question.

 

Joshua noticed the boy’s fingers twitched with the slightest movement, easy to miss if he too had been human. His brows furrowed, up-curled lips slipping into a frown. 

 

“…I did…”

 

_Interesting._

 

The vampire always believed that every person tethered on grey lines. No one was ever just good or just evil. But whether they were more inclined to the black or white side, painted a greater picture of who they really were deep inside. 

 

It was easy to interpret where Kwon Soonyoung stood. He just wondered if his precious brother, Mingyu, knew what kind of person his pet was.

 

“Why did you come to Seoul?” he continued prying.

 

Another finger moved, this one jutting stronger than the last. Was his vampire magic failing him? 

 

“To run away from _him,_ ” Soonyoung said. No other movements followed after he spoke.

 

“Run away from whom?”

 

“ _The monster._ ” 

 

The monster. Joshua had a fairly good idea who this _monster_ was, but that was a problem for another day.

 

“What are you, Kwon Soonyoung?”

 

“I’m a monster too.”

 

He kneeled before the human, gazing up at Soonyoung in reverence and joy, snickering from all that he’d uncovered. “You don’t even know what you are, but I do. I know exactly what you are, so now, tell me…do you love my youngest brother, Kim Mingyu?”

 

“With all my heart,” the mortal replied monotonously, untaken by emotion but the truth nonetheless.

 

Then Joshua asked him, " _Why_ do you love him?"

 

It was not a fair question to ask anyone, but Joshua never enjoyed being an equitable opponent. Honor took far too much fun out of the game. To question a person's reason for loving another, was not a kind affair. It muddled minds and rattled hearts, until no answer seemed fit for the query and then suddenly, the love that had felt so real and had been cherished so fastidiously became a disturbing matter to catechize.

 

He had ruined many relationships with that same question, using it to destroy alliances and forge newer kingdoms that bended to his will. His cunning mind and guileful words have always been his strongest weapons, and no one has ever prevailed against his astuteness. 

 

The troubling question returned the boy to muteness, but after the short quiet, a meek smile reached the boy’s lips. Joshua’s eyes widened, believing for a second that the boy had broken out of his enchantment.

 

“What’s not there to love?” The human glanced down at the vampire in front of him, brown eyes glistening as Joshua stared back in horror. “Mingyu is _perfect_. I look at him, and I see an angel from the heavens. I hear his voice, and my heart beats so fast that it hurts to even breathe. I want to give him every single part of me, even if I get nothing in return. He makes me want to love. He makes me want to _live_ , and I will do anything to be with him for the rest of my life.”

 

The room fell into solitude once more, and the boy returned to staring vacantly at nothing, the white light in his eyes dispersing back into hazy brown irises. 

 

Joshua could not find his words, stunned silent as he gaped at Soonyoung in absolute shock. In this decade, there were only a few things that could still surprise him, but the human before him threw him completely off-guard. 

 

The winsome vampire felt almost breathless in his jubilation. “Would you really do anything for my brother?”

 

“Anything.”

 

“Would you die for him?”

 

“Yes.”

 

He grinned excitedly, crazed at the cruelty of what he was about to ask. “Would you _kill_ for him?”

 

“…yes…”

 

That was all he needed. No further questions were necessary. 

 

Joshua did not care about how Mingyu felt for the human, but it did matter to him how Kwon Soonyoung felt about their youngest. 

 

Because if this human was in love with his brother, an unspeakable power was within Joshua’s own grasp, ready for him to manipulate and control without opposition. 

 

All of his enemies had their knights and rooks and all their little pawns. They could even have their bishops and the king for all he cared. 

 

Joshua already had the winning piece - the equivalent of a queen and all her omnipotence set on the chessboard. The most powerful. The most vicious. The unstoppable. The conqueror. The destroyer. 

 

The one who will end it all.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The human came to a few hours later, blinking up at the ceiling in bewilderment. 

 

Joshua observed him as Soonyoung sat up and massaged his temples, dyed hair messy on his head.

 

“W-where am I?” his voice croaked, eyes squinting at glowing candlelights around the room.

 

“You’re in my mother’s house,” Joshua stated with a satiny lightness in his tone, smiling gently at the startled human.

 

“I…D-do I know you?” He stood up too quickly and stumbled back onto the couch from the blood rushing to his feet.

 

The auburn-haired vampire chuckled, sitting right beside the dizzy human and placing a cool hand over his forehead. “Please, call me hyung…Jisoo-hyung.”

 

“Jisoo-hyung,” he repeated graciously, not even bothered by the vampire invading his personal space. “What happened to me?”

 

“Oh, you poor thing. You came here to deliver some jajangmyeon, and you slipped and hit your head on our front porch!” 

 

Lies, lies, and more lies. 

 

“I did?” Soonyoung murmured through his perplexity, eyes shut tight while the dizziness plagued him. 

 

“Yes, but luckily there was no bleeding. Just a small bump on your head. I will gladly take you to the hospital if you are still not feeling well.”

 

His brown eyes shot open, and he grabbed onto Joshua’s wrist, taking it in both of his hands and closer to his chest. “N-No! No! Please no hospitals, Jisoo-hyung.”

 

Joshua smiled even wider. “Alright, but don’t hesitate to call me if you need to see a doctor.”

 

He offered the human his worn-out phone, the scratch-up screen showing that his number was already saved under Hong Jisoo. 

 

Soonyoung received it gratefully with a small bow and slowly got up to tuck the device in the back pocket of his jeans.

 

“I will. Thank you, hyung. I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you.”

 

Joshua stood up with him, ushering him out of the house with an arm draped over the boy’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. By the way, may I know your name?”

 

The human beamed at him. “My name is Kwon Soonyoung, but you can call me Hoshi. It’s a lot easier to remember.”

 

Hoshi.

 

_Tiger’s gaze._

 

That name seemed more appropriate for a king than Soonyoung.

 

“Hoshi-goon, it was a pleasure meeting you.” Joshua hugged him carefully, chortling as he felt the human stiffen in his arms and then relax after just a few seconds - the little things a smidgen of affection could accomplish. “Take care on your way back.”

 

Soonyoung jogged to his moped parked right outside the gate, with Joshua waving him off from the safety of the front door. 

 

He’d make sure they would meet again.

 

Joshua was not going to allow Kwon Soonyoung to die any time soon.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 _Present Day_  

 

Mingyu pulled his human into a searing kiss, pressing their bodies together with unspoken urgency and desperation.

 

Soonyoung wrapped his arms around the vampire’s neck, moaning into their locked lips and rolling tongues. 

 

“I love you,” he whispered in between heated kisses. 

 

The tall brunet had his hands planted on the boy’s hips, snaking them under the human’s white dress shirt and exploring the milky expanse of skin beneath.

 

His mortal lover broke the kiss with a soft whimper. “Mingyu, we can’t do this right now. They’re waiting for us downstairs.”

 

Mingyu bit on his lower lip, frowning at the ugly thoughts in his head. He was uneasy about the entire soiree Joshua had planned. “Are you sure you want to do this, hyung?” 

 

In honor of their new master, his most winsome brother had orchestrated a gathering - with representatives from every vampire coven in Seoul, the invite extending to families across the East. 

 

They were all there to see the human who killed Goo Hara and took over her house. 

 

Many of them were disbelieving. Mortals were not capable of killing the undead. Even with their weapons of massacre, it was an incredibly difficult feat to perpetrate. 

 

Most of the other ancients had surmised that Goo Hara had grown weak or committed suicide in her throes of depression. Others were convinced that her own children had conspired against her, and the human was just there as a cover up for their plans of taking over Seoul. 

 

Whatever they thought, her death dealers knew the truth. They themselves had witnessed the Bellum Dualis take place, and they had seen how the former queen had turned to ash from drinking the human’s blood. Their testimony was unerring and  guaranteed Soonyoung’s protection from any death sentence. 

 

The boy nodded brazenly in spite of his rapidly beating heart. “I have to do this. Jisoo-hyung said that this needs to happen.”

 

“Hyung, you don’t have to follow everything he says,” the vampire gritted out, masking vexation underneath a calm expression.

 

Mingyu was still displeased with what his brother had done, even if his amorality had saved the love of his life.  

 

“I know, but I trust him, Mingyu-yah.”

 

“Soonyoung-hyung, that’s not-”

 

“There you are! Joshuji is looking for the both of you downstairs,” Jeonghan interposed, peeking his head through the ajar door he hadn’t bothered knocking on before entering. 

 

Mingyu was quite sure that he’d locked it before he kissed Soonyoung. 

 

“You go first. I need to, uhm, brush my teeth again,” the human said, brown eyes silently begging for just a few more minutes to himself. 

 

The vampire indulged him with a placid smile and proceeded out the door with Jeonghan.

 

 

* * *

 

 

His siblings were already making their rounds across the room, dressed to impress in their luxurious, branded clothing. They had all decided to wear shades of white that night as a symbol of unity. Even Jeonghan and Lisa had donned ivory to show their allegiance and recognition of their new master.

 

Seungcheol was the most diplomatic of them all and was thus in charge of entertaining former dignitaries of their respective countries - Han Geng, with his son Zhou Mi, and Elkie Chong, former princess of Hong Kong - with luminary talk. 

 

Minnie was chatting away with her inner circle of council fledglings, giggling with the newest gossip sharp on their tongues. It was the simplest way to get closer to the right people, and the whispering campaign was a favored past time of many bored council members. 

 

Tzuyu seemed to be flirting with Kim Doyeon, much to Mingyu’s surprise. He had never seen his sister act so friendly with another vampire, male or female, outside of their family. Even with her closest friends, she’d always acted reserved. This was something he’d have to talk to her about once the festivities were over.

 

Joshua, as usual, was no where to be seen. Mingyu was more than certain that his brother was lurking around the house, either making shady deals with other vampires in the library or torturing someone to the point of madness in their basement. Typical Joshua. He honestly should have been a death dealer, but the queen vehemently abhorred him and refused to have him anywhere near her court. Mingyu doubted she’d even show up tonight because of how much she despised him.

 

The first person to catch his eye was Vernon and his sunflower gold hair. Next to him was his mother, Yoon Mirae, wearing a sapphire-hued dress that unexpectedly complimented the bizarreness of her son’s blueberry pancake-printed suit. 

 

“Hello, my dear,” she greeted Mingyu tenderly, the motherliness in her taking over as she kissed his cheek and hugged him. “I hope your new master is treating you well.”

 

Vernon offered him no pleasant greetings, regarding him only for a brief moment before stepping away. “Imma get you more blood, mom.”

 

Mingyu’s heart dropped to his stomach, hand reaching out to stop his friend. “Vernon, wait.”

 

Yoon Mirae stopped him, taking his hand and gently lowering it, a sad smile on her burgundy lips. “Darling…Hansol hasn’t been the same since…your maker passed away. It’s been very difficult for him to cope. There are times when he won’t even speak to me or Seungkwan.”

 

“I…I’m sorry,” Mingyu apologized, sadness swirling in his chest.

 

“It’s not your fault, dear,” she spoke calmly. “He needs time to heal, and he wanted to be here to support you, even though he is hurting. Just know that you will always be welcome in our home. My family is here for you if you ever need us.”

 

Mingyu bowed to her and kissed her hand. “Thank you, Yoon Mirae-ssi.”

 

He navigated his way through the crowd, shaking hands and bowing to their guests in a show of respect. There were not many who were fond of their family, and most of the makers and their fledglings had sneered at him when he approached them.

 

“I almost feel bad for you,” Kyulkyung, one of Park Jiyoung’s daughters, jibed while leering at him in her skin-tight black dress. “But the reality of it all is that you are merely Joshua’s mindless puppet. You couldn’t even defend your own maker.”

 

“Watch your back, Kim Mingyu,” Choi Siwon advised him. His quiet fledgling Minho stood by his side protectively, head whipping around the room, watching out for any sort of danger that may threaten his father. “One of these days, your brother will target you next. It is only a matter of time.”

 

There were others much kinder though. 

 

Kim Kibum was one of the more peaceful vampires, turned after Park Jungsoo won his Great Crown. He was slightly older than the new generation but held the wisdom of those born before the ancients. 

 

“Your new master has saved you all from peril,” Kibum said to him, voice airy and cheerful. “I commend the human for being so valiant. He must truly love you so, to take on a world so different from his own…for the sake of someone he holds dear.”

 

But no words had startled him more than those of the ancient vampire Kim Taeyeon.

 

“I have wanted your brother as an ally for centuries,” she explained to him. Her eldest, Irene, stuck close to her mother - visibly wary of the vampires jeering at her. “We are here for your family and your new master.”

 

He walked away to search for Wonwoo and his father, Hwang Minhyun, ignoring everyone else who tried to speaking with him. It was emotionally unpleasant, taking in all the ugly ways people viewed their family, and what he needed right now was the support of his best friend. Wonwoo never judged their family, no matter how awful his second-eldest brother was. 

 

Mingyu eventually found them standing next to the piano with Aaron Kwak, but before he could get to them, the sound of Joshua’s voice froze his long and hurried strides.

 

“May I have your attention please!”

 

Mingyu turned to look up at his winsome brother perched above the grand staircase. Beside him, Soonyoung shifted uncomfortably as his cheeks glowed in bright red.

 

Joshua may have been the one to speak, but every pair of grey eyes in the house was focused on the human standing atop the foyer. 

 

The brunet hoped that they would all see what he did - how precious Soonyoung was, how beautiful and kind he looked, how wonderful his presence felt.   

 

“This is Kwon Hoshi, the new master of our house. The slayer of the undead. Lay a finger on him, and he will turn you to ash just as he did to our maker - Goo Hara.”

 

“Jisoo-hyung,” the human muttered to the winsome vampire in worry. “You know I didn’t mea-”

 

“Trust me…” Joshua interrupted with a whisper, orbs glinting with his trademark capriciousness. “We need to do this.”

 

The boy gulped nervously, before nodding in assent. 

 

From afar, Mingyu could hear their hushed conversation, and a nagging feeling in the back of his mind told him that _something wasn’t right_.

 

“It is my great honor tonight to introduce him to our kind. Our father will be the new leader of this world. The great deliverer of earth…The _savior_ we all need…He is the greatest being alive as of this moment, and if anyone tries to defy him…death will come. Death will be his champion against the weak and unworthy, and as far as I’m concerned…everyone in this room is lower than the dirt he steps on.”

 

Mingyu gaped at his brother’s words. He was deviating from the night’s plans. This was supposed to be a celebration in honor of Soonyoung becoming a new member of their family. Joshua wasn’t supposed to be provoking anyone, but here he was, waging war against all the vampire leaders in their house.

 

The auburn-haired vampire was unbothered by the wrath erupting from their guests. His orbs flitted from person to person, mischievously sweeping through the angry horde below. 

 

Then, his eyes stopped at a figure in the very back of the room. “And the weakest one of all…”

 

All the grey eyes followed where Joshua was staring. A collection of sharp gasps echoed through the room, because their gazes landed on the Queen of Seoul, noble and opulent in her poised stance. 

 

Kim Seolhyun stood tall and slender next to her death dealers, like a magnificent statue sculpted by the very hands of God. Her rose gold dress framed every curve on her body, and her thick, dark locks cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall. 

 

The unamused expression of her mesmerizing face challenged the smirk on Joshua’s lips, and her arms stayed crossed under her bosom, exuding dominance and confidence despite the discourtesy she’d been shown. 

 

The queen was a woman born to rule over a dynasty. Aristocracy was potent in her blood. The crown had been her birthright even before she had been turned, so Seolhyun remained passive to Joshua’s words. No one has ever dared to disrespect her or her throne, and she wasn’t going to let her followers see it affect her.

 

But what he said next had people reeling in aghast…and the queen furiously snarling with bloody crimson in her eyes. 

 

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Joshua howled like a mad man. “Bow down to your future king!”

 

Mingyu didn’t know whose life he was to fear for more - Soonyoung’s or...Joshua’s.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh....this chapter was such a satisfying thing to write! We're getting deeper into the story now, for all three COE fics. Now you guys know who Hoshi has kissed first XDDDDD and now you know why Minghao hates Junhui's power :)))))) let me know how you guys liked this chapter. What are your thoughts? Share them with me!!! Besides having to do things to keep my day job (cough a lot of exercising cough), the part that took so long to write was the answer for why Hoshi loved Mingyu. IDK why I had to torture myself writing that but it just felt so right to be in this chapter. Anyway, Savior will be ending soon. I hope you guys are still having fun reading this ! I need to catch up with my other fic Good Morning, Indeed too XDDDDDD thank you to all those who've been following this :)


	4. Chapter 4

 

 

 

 

 

_A thousand times we die in one life. We crumble, break, and tear apart until the layers of illusion are burned away and all that is left, is the truth of who and what we really are._

 

_-Teal Scott_

 

 

 

 

 

The Queen of Seoul had become hideously maddened by Joshua’s opprobrium. The deep vermillion in her eyes swirled violently with rage as she stalked forward. The swarm of undead parted as she stomped to the center of the Grand Foyer. Her orbs were locked onto the vampire above them, boring into his figure with the intent to kill. 

 

No one in their right mind would ever show such disrespect to a person of her eminence, but Joshua was no where near the right state of sanity. He hasn’t been well for a very long time. 

 

Power often had that effect on people, and this was the most power Joshua has ever held in his grasp - all thanks to the unsuspecting human boy next to him… 

 

Kwon Soonyoung and all his sublimity…all his sovereignty… 

 

They all had to know, and Joshua was more than willing to show them. He wanted every enemy and ally in their household to know. He wanted them all to bow down and beg for his mercy. He wanted their leaders to weep and exalt his name to the highest heavens. 

 

Most importantly, Joshua wanted them all to _burn_. 

 

It was delicious and deafening and drowning all at the same time. The pulsating heat beneath his skin scorched and crackled in the most gratifying way, engulfing his body deeper and deeper into an ego trip that would last him a millennia. No one else in this room would ever know how amazing it felt to hold this much power. Not a crown nor a kingdom could ever compare to what he had now. 

 

With such a powerful weapon by his side, there was nothing for him to fear. 

 

“Look at you parading around with your fake crown,” Joshua jeered at the Queen, dauntless grey eyes leering directly into her blood-thirsty orbs. “Tell me, _Seolhyun_. Was it fun playing happily-ever-after for this long? Have you finally had your fill?” 

 

The voluptuous woman hissed back at him. “Enough of your insolence! How dare you insult me in front of all the covens! I will have your head, Joshua!”

 

But the winsome vampire was not backing down. “How dare I? _How dare you_! You’re the one who’s been pretending to be a queen this whole time! You must have known that this was all just a meaningless game of charades… You couldn’t have possibly thought you were strong enough to win the crown all by yourself!”

 

Soonyoung winced and, despite his visible uneasiness, stayed mum as Joshua had instructed. He looked to the vampire with a silent entreat, but Joshua couldn't stop now. The show was just beginning, and their disgruntled audience deserved a spectacular performance.

 

His siblings remained frozen where they stood, just as shocked and appalled as the vampires around them. Seungcheol looked to be the most enraged, but even as the eldest, he had no control over Joshua and his actions.

 

It was safer for them not to interfere with their most winsome brother’s schemes. Still, the eldest of their house bared his fangs in forewarning. “Joshua, _stop_...” Seungcheol growled, pushing his way closer to the mezzanine. 

 

His admonition was left unheard, and the auburn-haired vampire carried on with his ceaseless taunting. “You’re not a queen! You’re a joke! You don't know what true power is, _Seolhyun_!”

 

If it had been up to him, Joshua would have seized her throne long ago and debase her in front of her zealots. It would have been an easy feat to accomplish, but that had never been his end-goal. There was more for him to worry about than a silly chair and a stupid headband, and the Queen was a pawn he was more than willing to sacrifice in a hecatomb.

 

“Bring him to me,” Seolhyun muttered to her death dealers. Hui and Hyojong immediately jumped up and over the railing. They seized the winsome vampire by the arms, dragging him down the staircase as he continued his crazed cackling.

 

“Your Queen will lead us all to our deathbeds! No one will be safe from what's to come!” Joshua cried disturbingly.  

 

The vampire families eyed him with variegated expressions of pity and disgust. Joshua was but a lunatic now - unhinged and broken to the point of no return. This was what happened to vampires who’ve been playing the game for far too long. 

 

His siblings stared at him in woe, each stricken with pain to see him in such a manic state. Mingyu cautiously emerged from the crowd, footsteps heavy and hesitant. “H-Hyung,” his voice trembled. “Please stop this…”

 

Tzuyu was the first to gently pull him back, and Minnie took her place next to him shortly after, rubbing a hand on his shoulders to soothe him. It would be too dangerous for them to make any moves right now. Joshua had already insulted the Queen enough. 

 

“Seungcheol-hyung,” Mingyu pleaded, glancing desperately in the raven-haired vampire’s direction. “Seungcheol-hyung, please!” 

 

Their eldest brother had to do something. He was the closest to Joshua out of all of them. Surely, there was something he could do.

 

But Seungcheol merely shook his head, closed his eyes, and turned away deploringly. 

 

“No! Jisoo-hyung!”

 

Soonyoung frantically raced down the stairs, following behind the two death dealers dragging Joshua to the queen. But before he could get to them, Jeonghan was quick to intercept the boy. 

 

“Wait,” the blond vampire whispered into his ear. 

 

“But, Jisoo-hyung is-”

 

“Just _wait_ ,” Jeonghan firmly instructed him once more, adding a bit of pressure to the grip he had around the human’s wrist.

 

Joshua found himself eye to eye with the Queen of Seoul, grinning maniacally as the memories of their yesteryears brought upon him a sense of nostalgia. “Feels like Déjà vu, doesn’t it, _Seolhyun-ari_?”

 

“Don’t you dare call me that, you pompous snake!” she roared, tearing into the diamond skin of his face with her talon-sharp nails. “I should have you killed right in front of your family!”

 

“ _You_? Kill _me_?” Joshua snickered as the cracks in his face slowly healed. Her word was nothing but tenuous dialogue.

 

The Queen would never be able to kill him…

 

“It’s funny how you say these things,” the auburn-haired vampire licked at his lips, smiling wickedly with his sharp fangs. “But you and I both know…that you will never have the gall to do it…”

 

…because even after all this time, after all the lies and all the hurt she’d suffered through because of him…

 

Seolhyun’s eyes were burning into his seraphic face, irises red with boundless fury - hungry for blood and fire and death, but what Joshua saw was something entirely different. There was no scowling woman in front of him. The vampire was nothing close to a queen. Instead, a frail maiden was weeping before him, horribly deformed and scarred from centuries of heartbreak and longing. 

 

Everyone in the room could see it. Everyone knew what was behind her mask of resentment. 

 

…the Queen of Seoul was still in love with Joshua. 

 

“Little girls aren’t fit to rule kingdoms, Seolhyun-ari,” he remarked coldly. “You’re going to die soon, and I hope that before it happens, you’ll finally accept that I’m never going to love you back.”

 

She struck him again, shaking from her own humiliation and internal anguish, and Joshua only continued his incessant chortling.

 

Love came with shackles, and he’d been exploiting Seolhyun’s feelings for him for centuries. She always became ponderous and disconcerted around him, and that kind of leverage, over someone of her status, was something no one else in this room could ever attain. 

 

But the show was not over yet. 

 

“Dismember him,” the Queen murmured to the death dealers, eyes watery and expression still thick with hatred. 

 

Hui kicked into Joshua’s torso, forcing him to bend forward and fall onto his knees, and clasped his hands over their prisoner’s nape. Hyojong grabbed hold of the winsome vampire’s arms, twisting the long appendages behind him, before setting his foot on the center of Joshua’s back. 

 

Together, they pulled in opposite directions, and Joshua let out a pain-filled screech.

 

“She can’t do this,” Mingyu stated, letting go of his sisters and urgently moving forward. His eyes were wide and red and contemptuous, and his dread-riddled body staggered closer. “She can’t. She can’t do this…”

 

Seungcheol impeded his path and grabbed onto his youngest brother. “Mingyu, don’t. You’re only going to make things worse.”

 

“But she can’t do this!” Mingyu cried, fighting back against Seungcheol’s strong hold around his waist. “Hyung! Jisoo-hyung!”

 

Minnie rushed to Seolhyun’s side. She looked so small and powerless next to the vampire queen, and that made her look even more pitiful as she tried to supplicate for pardon. “Your Highness, please forgive my brother. He doesn’t know what he’s saying. He’s been unwell for quite some time now, and we should have done something to help him sooner. Please, Your Majesty, let our family rectify this. Not your death dealers…”

 

But Seolhyun doesn’t respond to the ginger vampire’s pleas. She simply stared as the two death dealers pulled at Joshua’s body, her face dull and dead of emotion. 

 

The rest of the room watched in silence. 

 

It was an embarrassment for Joshua’s entire family, and many of the vampire leaders were smug from witnessing the downfall of his house.

 

No one dared to interfere with what was transpiring. There was nothing anyone could do, unless they desired wrath and punishment from the Queen. 

 

All the while, the winsome vampire’s crooked smile would not disappear, because even at this point - where his death was more than imminent, there was nothing for him to be afraid of. 

 

After all…Joshua was not alone.

 

No one expected Tzuyu’s fingers to curl around Hui’s neck and Jeonghan’s hand to clasp and tug brutishly on Hyojong’s hair. 

 

“Don’t move another muscle,” Jeonghan muttered calmly, bold and reposeful. He wordlessly glanced at Tzuyu with the slightest curl of his lips, before regarding Hui in a less than pleasant manner. “Listen to my heed, or we’ll kill the both of you…and then neither of you can ever fuck your own mother again.”

 

“J-Jeongha..an, you fu-fucking bas-s-stard!” Hui gritted out through bloodied teeth, choking from Tzuyu’s crushing hold. 

 

Before Seolhyun could bellow at the scene, Minnie brought a blade to her neck, the edges lightly digging into her porcelain skin. 

 

It was the Blade of Shimatani - the same weapon their master used to rip through Goo Hara’s neck before her passing.

 

“Please, Your Highness,” she uttered with continued sanctitude, voice light and soft, but the red in her orbs spoke otherwise. “Don’t let it end this way.”

 

The Queen snarled at the shorter female, before her eyes flitted over all the icy grey eyes the room. They were all staring back at her, and none of the houses attempted to aid her. 

 

There, Seolhyun realized…that they all wanted her dead, and they all were waiting for a chance to steal her crown.

 

Her eyes fell on Joshua, who looked back at her with goading eyes that questioned, ‘ _Where is your power now?_ ’, and a waterfall of rage consumed her entire body. 

 

“This…this is _all your doing_!” she seethed, abandoning her royal visage and roaring like a rabid animal unchained. 

 

Seolhyun grabbed hold of the knife against her neck, shattering it into jagged pieces with her hand. The metal and jewels dug into her skin, and blood flowed down to her fingertips. Minnie tried to push her back, but the Queen tossed her across the room with a back-handed swipe. 

 

“Let go of him,” she ordered the death dealers, and they were quick to follow her command. 

 

Joshua fell to the floor, limbs loose and neck cracked. 

 

Tzuyu’s hand released Hui’s neck. She scurried to pick her brother up and run, but the Queen grasped onto a fistful of her hair and tossed her to the side like a raggedy doll. 

 

Jeonghan glowered at her and stepped in between her and Joshua. He dodged her clawed hands striking at him, before he took hold of her chin and slammed the side of her face into the marble floor. 

 

Hui and Hyojong subdued him, and that gave Seolhyun enough time to recover and stride toward Joshua once more. 

 

He looked up at her, eyes twinkling in derision despite her vicious frenzy. 

 

The final act was almost complete.

 

Soonyoung pushed past the crowd and used his own body as a shield to protect Joshua from the Queen’s wrath. “Don’t hurt him!” he shouted. “Don’t hurt our Joshua!”

 

The human locked eyes with the Queen of Seoul, and she peered back at him, pained and addled, but mesmerized by his gorgeous face and the sound of his voice.

 

No words left her lips as she took a tentative step back, and the ferociousness in her slowly quelled, returning her to her previously poised demeanor. Not a fragment of temerity was left in her bones. She heaved a loud and strange sigh, shaking as her eyes cooled to a prosaic grey.

 

She stared and stared relentlessly at the human, sniveling softly in the smothering quiet of the room. “ _Please_ …” the Queen implored.

 

The brown-eyed mortal refused to budge and pressed Joshua tighter against his back when she dawdled to him, bloodied hand reaching out to touch. “ _Please…please…_ ”

 

 _Please let me touch you…let me feel for myself just once in my lifetime…_ was the soundless adjure from her undead heart - crying out for deliverance, for clemency, for warmth to wash away the centuries of hurt.

 

Joshua knew and so did Seolhyun. They’ve both felt these feelings before. 

 

They both knew what it felt like to be in the presence of _real power_.

 

Her fingertips ghosted over Soonyoung’s cheek, and she gasped at the contact and abruptly descended to her knees.

 

Just like that, the entire room darkened in gloom and ravening whispers. 

 

Jeonghan shrugged himself out of Hui and Hyojong’s clutches and glanced at his lover with a teasing simper.

 

Everyone knew now.

 

Joshua had won. 

 

Because he had the weapon that was _Kwon Soonyoung_. 

 

And now…no one would ever be safe from him again.

 

“Seolhyun?” the death dealer, Hyunah, called out for the Queen. 

 

The redheaded woman had just entered the living room mere seconds ago, and Hyunah was perplexed as to why her sister was on her knees. 

 

She enveloped Seolhyun in an embrace, gingerly pulling the disgraced immortal up to her feet. “We must go…” she told the Queen of Seoul, before eyeing the human and the winsome vampire in front of her in disdain. “There are more important places for you to be.”

 

Joshua cackled to himself, debating whether he should tell the sisters that this would be their last night together. But it would have been too altruistic on his part, too benignant, and philanthropy had never been his strong suit. 

 

So he kept his mouth shut, as Seolhyun and Hyunah made their way to the door, and closed his eyes as he snuggled against the back of Soonyoung’s head.

 

“ _He’s here…_ ” Hyunah whispered apprehensively to her sister, and that alone was enough for the Queen to snap out of her daze and quickly make her leave.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The playwright smiled as chaos broke before him. Their undead guests, his audience, had long emptied their abode, and all that was left was the yelling between his siblings to fill in the lethargy of Nox. Soonyoung was standing in the corner, fretful and unsure of how to stop them.

 

“What the fuck did you both think you were doing?!” Seungcheol cried out in anger, glaring at Minnie and Tzuyu for their brash actions. 

 

“We needed to do _something_ ,” Minnie wailed, swiping away her tears angrily. “You were just watching them kill our brother, and you were going to just let Mingyu watch it happen!”

 

Tzuyu was faring no better than her younger sister, struggling to control her sobbing as she trembled in Mingyu’s arms. 

 

“It wasn’t our place to do something!” the eldest in their family defended himself, before turning hostilely to Joshua. “He provoked the Queen. He was asking for this to happen!”

 

“Joshua _is your brother_ ,” Jeonghan appended stiffly, arms crossed beside a silent Lisa. “He is yours to protect no matter what happens!”

 

“He put everyone here in danger tonight!” Seungcheol roared back. “We’re lucky the Queen didn’t have us all executed before she left!”

 

Mingyu sniffled, tear streaks running down his face. “Hyung is right…”

 

“Of all people.” Jeonghan rolled his eyes. “You can’t be seriously taking Seungcheol’s side right now.”

 

Tzuyu wept as looked up at him, pained and plagued with mortification. “Mingyu, why? Why would you-”

 

“Noona, please,” Mingyu pleaded. He didn’t want her to cry anymore. It hurt him too much, but he had to tell her the truth. “Seungcheol-hyung was right not to have done anything. What if we’d angered her more?”

 

“So you’re saying we should have just let Shua-hyung die?” Minnie contended, now scowling at her youngest sibling. 

 

Mingyu glanced at her sadly. “He put our master in danger too. What would have happened if the Queen ordered for Soonyoung to be executed in his place? What would you have done, noona?”

 

The Thai female retorted with nothing, simply biting her lower lip, and huffed irately when she could no longer argue.

 

Tzuyu pushed at him gently, releasing herself from his embrace. “Our master is strong…but…but if anyone…i-if anyone ever tried to-”

 

She choked up at the thought of someone hurting their new father. Minnie seized her by the shoulders and guided her away from the rest of their family’s prying eyes, knowing how Tzuyu hated it when numerous people saw her cry. 

 

The tall vampire then turned to his master, his lover…his whole world with both fondness and despondence. “We can’t endanger him. I think we can all agree on that…”

 

“What if you turn him?” Lisa suddenly imparted, having been tightlipped since the quarreling had started. She had never been one to interfere with their squabbles, and this was the first time she’d ever proposed something with such boldness. “If he were a vampire, your house wouldn’t be as vulnerable as it is now. He may have killed Goo Hara, but how many more times must he be on the verge of death before you all realize that _he is still human_? _”_

 

Lisa was right. If Soonyoung were a vampire, they would have less to worry about. They had put the topic off long enough to allow him to heal properly. Now was an absolutely opportune moment to discuss this sensitive issue.

 

But no one had expected the human to part his quivering pink lips and say, “I don’t want it…”

 

Six pairs of grey eyes were wide and struck with oblivion, and when no one said anything to respond to his confession, the pale mortal repeated himself louder and clearer. “I don’t want to be a vampire…”

 

All the while, Joshua simply observed them. There was nothing for him to say and certainly nothing to apologize for, because if every story had a protagonist, someone had to play the antagonist.

 

And there was no better role he enjoyed playing more than the manipulating villain…

 

 

* * *

 

 

The door slammed shut as two lovers enclosed themselves within their shared bedroom. The air was tense and thick with apprehension, as expected for the quandary that wedged itself between them. 

 

Mingyu was the first one to speak, desperate for answers no matter unforgiving they may be. “Why not, hyung?”

 

“Mingyu, please just-”

 

“ _Why not?_ ” he repeated more unyieldingly. The immortal didn’t want filtered remarks. He only wanted the truth. He deserved at least that from his lover.

 

Soonyoung shook his head, avoiding Mingyu’s oppressive gaze, eyes swollen and brimming. “I just…I just don’t want it…”

 

The tall brunet, however, was unrelenting. “Tell me why. Please, hyung, tell me so I can understand!”

 

“I just don’t want to become a vampire, okay?!” 

 

“But I thought that we- I thought…” He thought that Soonyoung would say _yes_. The boy looked so enamored and so excited when Mingyu had told him about the possibility of forever. Together with him in love that would last a lifetime. 

 

“I thought you loved me…”

 

“I do love you, but this has nothing to do with love.”

 

“You know what will happen right? Fifty…maybe sixty years down the line. Your body won’t be strong enough to change then. And you’re going to…you’re gonna…”

 

_Die._

 

“I know,” Soonyoung muttered in desolation, taking Mingyu’s face in his hands and pressing their foreheads together. “I know. I love you, and I know what will happen. But I changed my mind. I can’t become a vampire, Mingyu.”

 

The immortal pulled away like he’d been burned. Even though he loved the warmth of Soonyoung’s skin, it provided no comfort for him in this scenario. “Then what about me, hyung? What am I supposed to do once you’re gone?”

 

“I’ll stay with you for as long as possible…” the human attempted to approach him once more, to fill in the gap and join their hands together.

 

Mingyu wanted it too, but he didn’t want it like this. He backed away from the human before they could touch. “It’s not going to be enough, hyung! I love you! I’m so madly in love with you! I want to be with you forever! I told you everything. I told you everything about me and my kind and all that we could do for you. Don’t you want forever with me too?”

 

“If you really love me, you would honor my decision,” Soonyoung insisted, scrambling for the right words to say, to end the argument once and for all. “I…I want a family someday! I want t-to grow old and…a-and grey-haired with someone. I want warmth and sunshine and...I...I don’t want to hide in the darkness forever! I want a normal life. I want to _live_!”

 

It worked. He knew his awful words had worked, because Mingyu paused, eyes unblinking as his expression slipped into a valley of despair and defeat. He’d struck something deep in Mingyu’s heart, so disturbingly deep that nothing may ever heal it again. 

 

“Well then…I’m sorry I can’t give you any of that,” the vampire stated scornfully.

 

Soonyoung nodded weakly, pursing his lips and shuddering from holding in words he couldn’t say. Instead, he muttered safer things to speak - things that he could only hope would soothe his lover’s broken heart. “I’m so sorry, Mingyu, but Joshua told me it would be better this way. This is the only way I can protect you.”

 

“So you only listen to Joshua’s opinions now?” Mingyu asked brusquely. 

 

“Joshua is doing everything he can to keep this family alive,” the human reasoned as best as he could. 

 

His lover was having none of it. The second Soonyoung had mentioned Joshua’s name, every bit of reasoning with him had gone down the drain. “Bullshit!!!” 

 

The black-haired human stubbornly latched onto the vampire, hands grasping Mingyu’s arm to draw him close. “Mingyu…Mingyu, just liste-”

 

“No!!!” the vampire snarled, eyes turning red as he jerked himself out of the mortal’s hold. “If you’re only going to follow everything Joshua tells you, I’m staying out of it. I don’t want to know what deceitful things he’s said to you. You’re our master. Do as you wish.”

 

He made his way for the door, anger seeping out of every pore in his body. He needed to get out of this house, away from everything and everyone, before he did something he might regret.

 

Soonyoung grabbed onto his hand before he could turn the knob. “Wait, Mingyu-”

 

“I don’t have anything to offer you,” Mingyu cut him off petulantly, cold and ruthless with his unfettered words. “So maybe we should end this before I waste any more of your precious time. You don’t have much of it to look forward to.”

 

The vampire exited the room without a breath of hesitation, leaving the human boy by himself with a click of the door. 

 

Soonyoung buried his face in his own hands and dropped to the floor, throbbing heart shattered in bits and pieces on the ground - a broken mess quite pitiful to look at. His pained sobs echoed into the stifled dawn, carrying with them unvoiced remorse and beseeching that fell onto deaf ears. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

“I loved you, mother. I really did…” Joshua muttered vacantly into the darkness. His voice was soft, and his skin glowed as pale as the moon. The usual glint in his eyes offered no brightness, and instead, there was only hollowness - an emptiness gaping wide and ugly like the wound in his decayed heart. 

 

It was yet another night in this cold and lifeless house - his prison for the past fifty years.

 

“But you wouldn’t stop. No matter what I did, nothing was ever enough…and look at where we are now…”

 

He sat primly in their maker’s old room, on the armchair that only Goo Hara had the privilege of sitting in. 

 

“I’m sorry I lied. It really is all your fault. I hated you, and yet, I loved you the same. I did all this to fix everything you’ve broken. I did this to save our family…to save Jeonghan…Lisa…to save Mingyu…to save you…”

 

As he looked at his reflection in the mirror, the feigned calmness in him slowly crumbled. The color of purple wouldn’t leave him be. He couldn’t even recognize himself anymore. For such a long time, he’d pretended, and now staring back at him, was a sickly, terrified little boy with purple eyes. 

 

No beautiful, glimmering grey. 

 

Just cursed purple - fearful, despicable, deserving of punishment. 

 

He let himself go and allowed the pouring of tears down his winsome visage. 

 

“I’m so tired, mother! I can’t do it anymore! I can’t be the savior anymore!” he sobbed, fingers digging into the jar, and little cracks started forming over the glass container.

 

“I need someone to save me too…”

 

Joshua wiped his tears away, sniffling into the back his hand. He was so so tired of it all. He’d played the game for so long, longer than anyone ever had to, and now he was reaping what he'd sown.

 

Penance was a heavy price to pay. 

 

He was a lunatic. He was a monster that everyone hated. How could Jeonghan still love him like this? How could his siblings still stay with him like this?

 

He only had a bit more to do. Just a little bit more, and then, he could rest.

 

Just a bit more.

 

“I don’t deserve to be saved,” he sighed, steadily regaining composure as his sobs died down. “I couldn’t save any of _them_ …no matter how hard I tried…”

 

His five other brothers and sisters were already dead. He had watched them all die right in front of his very eyes, crying and begging for their mother to spare them. She denied him every time, and a small part of him died with each of them that perished.

 

It was a child’s wishful thinking - to have a happy family, living together peacefully. 

 

He had foolishly thought life-everlasting would give him that. 

 

But no, Jisoo had been reborn as a pawn in the game of conquerors, where death and deception and disloyalty reigned. Families were created out of necessity - to strengthen forces and fortify alliances, and no one cared about winning more than his maker.

 

Goo Hara. Former Queen of Japan. Bewitching and vile. Kind and cruel. A living juxtapose. An awful mother.

 

Jisoo had done everything she’d ever asked of him. He dirtied his hands and marred his own name - killed and tricked and fucked whoever he needed to - so she could gain her crown and rule her own kingdom. He did anything and everything for her, because he loved her so much. How could he not? She had saved him from death and given him second life. Of course he would repay her with an eternity of love and loyalty.

 

But Goo Hara never really loved anyone but herself, and she only saw her children as devoted pawns - expendable, asinine followers who would do whatever she pleased. 

 

His epiphany came in the form of Jackson’s death. 

 

When Jackson ran away, their mother had commanded Jisoo to find him and end him.

 

He succeeded. 

 

Jisoo always succeeded. That was why Hara always asked him to do the most abominable acts for her, and forcing him to kill his own brother had been the last straw. 

 

Something in him changed after that.

 

Hara had probably felt it, probably felt threatened by it, because she started acting sweeter towards him, promising him magnificent things he never desired, with flowery words he’d never heard before. Jisoo knew they were all empty promises, but one thing she had said did pique his interest. 

 

“A new brother. Whoever you desire,” she had stated, all loving and warm as she cradled his head against her chest.

 

She was going to make him a new brother, and all was forgiven…or rather, all was forgotten until she looked upon the boy he’d chosen, and lustful desire consumed her grey orbs. 

 

“Oh, Jisoo, you found me a new mate,” she uttered in glee. 

 

No, his new brother was not meant to be her mate. He wasn’t hers to play with until she grew tired and disposed of him. 

 

Jisoo kept his fury hidden beneath a frigid mask. Deep in his mind, however, his anger was left an untamed flame, growing and burning until all the love he felt for his mother was no longer palpable. 

 

He liberated himself from his past self, weak and pitiful, and became Joshua - loathsome and merciless, no longer just a pawn in the game. He transformed himself into the grand conspirator he was today, intent on bringing everyone to their bleeding knees. 

 

His mother didn’t know how to play the game, and he was her prized chess piece. Joshua had been her ticket in, and it was time for him to kick her out. 

 

Joshua had always been horrible at letting things go.

 

“Did you ever wonder…why Mingyu could never love you the way you wanted him to?” he muttered darkly, leering down at the ashes of his mother. “I am no better than you. I wanted Mingyu all to myself too. But I knew that neither one of us could ever have him. He deserves better than us both.”

 

One final night, and all would be revealed. 

 

“This is my biggest secret, mother. I’ve never told anyone this, not even Jeonghan. So listen carefully, mother. This is Mingyu’s story. This is how _we_ created a monster…”

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNNN!!!! Hey, guys! Yes, this story has not been abandoned! I am still very much involved with this story. It's just taking me a while so thank you so much for your patience! Anyway, more secrets have been revealed! Now we're going to find out more about Mingyu! 
> 
> You guys...omg I seriously hope everyone who's been reading this has been listening to SVT's recent songs. Happy Ending, HIT, Fear...OMFG Seventeen is on a roll this year! Hello? Ellen???? Can you please have these 13 wonderful guys on your show???? I think we can all agree that that's long overdue!
> 
> That and SoonGyu!!!! 2019 is the Year of SoonGyu!!! It makes me so so happy cuz I feel like more and more people are recognizing this beautiful pairing. I mean just look at them. Say it with me, kids - VISUAL COUPLE. So keep spreading the soongyu agenda, fellow soongyuists!!!! 
> 
> Let me know what you guys think about this chapter! Or the whole COE universe in general! Let me hear some theories! Don't be shy! Your kudos and comments motivate me! <33333


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this will be a very sensitive and gruesome chapter.

 

 

 

 

_A thousand times we die in one life. We crumble, break, and tear apart until the layers of illusion are burned away and all that is left, is the truth of who and what we really are._

 

_-Teal Scott_

 

 

 

 

The year was 1710. 

 

It was an age built for the “New World”, a hundred years after the founding of Jamestown in the Americas. The Kingdom of Great Britain had its eyes set on conquering the world. The Triangular trade was at its blooming cusps, and everyone wanted to join in on this grandiose, new venture. 

 

Hong Jisoo had traveled from the far east to partake in such a lucrative opportunity, having heard of the English activities from a very reliable source in China. It was the perfect time to see what lied beyond their domain, and as an undead child of the night, there was nothing for him to fear besides the glowing sun’s reach. His goal was to establish a partnership with the blue-eyed purveyors of the Atlantic. Their language was easy enough to learn, and money had always followed Jisoo wherever he went. Goo Hara had been reluctant to allow him the privilege of this little trip, but he’d promised her newer and greater treasures, in exchange for her blessing, upon his return to Korea.

 

He’d brought along his youngest sibling at the time, Wang Ka-yee, to accompany him on his voyage. The winsome vampire had hoped to spark Ka-yee’s interest in commerce within this vast new land. All humans required goods and resources to live, and all he and his brother had to do was buy a generous portion of stocks and watch their wealth grow. Financial superiority was always a leverage in any part of the world, both living and dead.

 

But what they’d discovered in the "New World" instead had been much more diabolical than Jisoo could’ve ever imagined.

 

The prized exports of the Atlantic trading were slaves from the “Old World”. Beaten and broken, forced into servitude, the thralls had been shipped in cargoes from Africa, and their savage captors flaunted them out in the open markets like livestock.

 

“This is absolutely disgusting,” Ka-yee spat out as the two siblings watched the trades from a shadowy distance. “Hyung, do we have enough shillings to buy them?”

 

“Ka-yee, we are not buying a thousand human slaves,” Jisoo answered without clemence.

 

The Chinese vampire turned to him with a frown. “You know what will happen to them if we don’t. They will suffer under a cruel master. They will be castrated and tortured for lack of any reason. They will know nothing of freedom until they’re buried beneath the earth. Before our mother saved me, that was the life I lived.”

 

Jisoo adjusted the flat planes of smoky quartz over his eyes, looking directly at his younger sibling with a somber expression. “We cannot interfere with their enterprise. We do not rule the mortal realm. We do not write their history. We simply watch, and let the humans do as they please. That is how we survive. This is what our Great Vampire Kings expect of us.”

 

Though the winsome vampire never held any royal with high regard, it was always safer to follow their mandates for the sake of his family’s wellbeing. Park Jungsoo, the Great Vampire King of the East, had blood almost as old as the Originals. He was an effigy of virtu and perpetuity, a creature so powerful and so wise that no one dared to challenge his throne over half the world. As much as Jisoo would have loved to test his strength and plot his downfall (merely to satisfy his own twisted curiosity), the Great King was not someone of interest to him at that point in time.

 

After a while, Ka-yee seemed to have dropped the issue and started spending more time with their Western counterparts. They were different from their kind, culturally and physically, and Ka-yee was more than happy to bask in their attention. It was a good distraction from the heartbreak he’d suffered from in the hands of a certain Kim Namjoon. 

 

Jisoo, on the other hand, felt no interest in the Occidental vampires’ honey-colored eyes and disparate charms, so he turned his attention elsewhere. 

 

Religion had been one of the riveting and thought-provoking things he’d discovered, most notably Christianity and their venerated  _Biblia_. At first, it had been nothing but a quick reading to understand a reference in _De Coelesti Heirarchia_ , but the more tales and testimonies he perused, the more he wanted to learn. As he delved deeper into theology, Jisoo stumbled upon other religions and studied their written texts as well. Night after night, he sought to uncover the secrets in their mysterious doctrines, and most of his time had been taken up by this pursuit. The stories he read came with questions he needed answers to. There were too many contradicting opinions and too many missing texts to satiate his inquisition, and Jisoo would have let it all go if it hadn’t been for one important query that would not leave him be.

 

What was in their vampire blood? 

 

That very question was the root of all of Jisoo’s fascination. 

 

What was the catalyst for their creation? Where did their gifts come from? 

 

There had to be one original source from which the truth could be traced back to.

 

So Jisoo searched beyond the readings of Genesis and the Epic of Gilgamesh and studied the scriptures of different cultures - The Vedas, the Egyptian Book of the Dead, Upanishads, Tao Te Ching, and Bhagavad Gita. 

 

Still, the winsome vampire could not find the answers, and so he decided to seek them out beyond the scriptures of faith and fellowship.

 

Mortals were the only beings of normalcy, granted the privilege to roam the land in liberty. They were God’s chosen, whichever God the humans chose to believe in. They were His favorite creation, above animals and every other life form. Vampires had once been human too, before they became the sick products of something far from holy. Humans were the benisons of earth. The rest of them, like Jisoo and his brethren and all the unnatural entities of the world, were either deities or abominations.

 

Mythical beasts had by now faded into obscurity, but Jisoo wondered if these creatures were also hidden in plain sight, just as their kind had been shrouded in secrecy for so long. But most importantly, Jisoo wondered what was in _their_ blood. Did they share the same properties as vampire blood? Were they stronger than vampires? What were their secrets? What were their weaknesses? What would happen if their bloods intermingled?

 

He wanted to know if he could take on the traits of other monsters. Would he produce healing tears like the mermaids? Would he breathe fire like the dragons? Would he transform into an animal like the wolf men?

 

Jisoo needed to know. He needed to experiment.

 

He needed to know so he could find a remedy to his frailty.

 

He needed to know if he could become stronger than the Originals. 

 

His diligent research led him to the entrepôt of New York city, where a vampire named Mr. Gonzo and his fledgling resided. The recondite immortal had been arduous to find, but Jisoo had his ways of locating people who loved to hide.

 

“What do you want from me?!” a scraggly vampire with Hispanic features questioned hostilely, sneering at the intruder of his abode beneath the Old Quaker Meeting House.

 

Jisoo’s grey eyes glimmered in the candle-lit darkness, carefully examining the boy and suffocating quarters he’d been forced to live in. He’d expected a brutish male, much larger and more violent than himself, not a feeble little thing born so recently. “I take it that you’re Samuel, Mr. Gonzo’s son. Where is your maker, child?”

 

“He’s not coming back for me!” the young vampire snapped, scurrying into the corner of the dirty room on all fours. He growled at Jisoo, mouth and fangs bloody from the rats he’d fed on. 

 

It had not been difficult to figure out why the young boy had been forsaken by his father. Samuel’s eyes bore two different colors - one iris red and the other brown, and Jisoo immediately knew why the boy’s sire had abandoned his own child.

 

Samuel was a variant, and his maker refused to care for him any longer.

 

“If you are here to end me, just do it now!”

 

Such a shame it was to see an orphaned fledgling living in squalor. 

 

“I have no interest in killing you,” the winsome vampire answered calmly. He was here for one purpose only, and that was to retrieve the last known relic of The Hero - one of the most prominent vampire figures who’d gone missing many years ago.

 

“ _De Diis Et Heroibus_ ,” Jisoo said, the words flowing off his tongue as if they'd been composed from his first language. “Is it here, Samuel?”

 

After The Hero disappeared without a trace, his home had been ransacked and his belongings had been stolen. Most of his treasures had been lost to time, but the most valuable of them all - the book of gods and heroes, the greatest muniment of vampires all over the world… _De Diis Et Heroibus_ \- had thankfully not been mislaid forever. 

 

“I…I d-don’t know what you’re talking about,” the boy stammered.

 

The winsome vampire stepped forward and lowered himself to meet Samuel eye to eye. His lips, stained red like he’d just bitten the sweetest of cherries, curled into a mellow and inviting smile. “Do you wish to make this place your deathbed?”

 

“N-No, but my-”

 

“Do you wish to feast on rats and live in mire for the rest of your life?”

 

Samuel gulped and trembled, wrapping around himself. “I…I do not…”

 

“Then give me the book, and I will give you sanctuary. Let me right your maker’s wrong.”

 

Jisoo held out a pale hand, and slowly…hesitantly, the young fledgling accepted it. Samuel had felt slightly warm, and his skin had been closer to caramel than alabaster. He had never touched another vampire with such attributes, and the feel of something other than cold had made him almost recoil in aversion. But that wasn’t Samuel’s fault. The only touch he’d ever craved for was the ice cold grasp of the angel who saved him. Not even his own maker’s embrace could ever comfort him the same way his angel had.

 

Though he always believed that variants should never be forced to live such horrid lives (and more frankly, should all be killed out of mercy), the winsome vampire always had a soft spot for his deprecated brethren. He pitied them and their misfortune to be reborn without a choice, and even though it was only right for him to disclose Samuel’s existence to the Western officials, he could not bring himself to do so. Perhaps it had been because the boy reminded Jisoo of his younger, human self, or maybe it was because Samuel looked nothing like the monster Jisoo was. Whatever it was that made him so empathetic, in the end, had not mattered. He had promised the orphan safe keeping, and the winsome vampire always fulfilled his vows.

 

Instead of reporting the boy to the death dealers, Jisoo had decided to introduce Samuel to the nomadic vampires of The Netherlands, who were all familiar with the clandestine sanctums in Europe. By the next night, he was on a boat to a refuge in England with several other variants on the run. 

 

As Jisoo turned the pages of his new guerdon, he immersed himself in Lilithian text, handwritten by The Hero himself, and in between the chapters were torn pieces of paper, which he could only guess, left by Mr. Gonzo. The notes had no direct relation to the titles of the chapters, but Jisoo was sure they’d been put there for a specific reason. 

 

 **Stay away from J.I.N** in Chapter 2 - The Monsters

 

 ~~ **El Dorado is dead**~~   in Chapter 3 - The Legends

 

 **Find Holland, get blood** in Chapter 8 - The Children of Eden

 

Before he could read the note for Chapter 13, Ka-yee had slammed the door of his room open and swiped the book off of his desk.

 

“Ka-yee!!!” Jisoo cried, hissing at his younger sibling for intruding at such an inopportune time.

 

“We haven’t talked _in weeks_ , hyung,” the Chinese vampire whined, cramming his brother’s prized book into a random shelf. He chose to playfully ignore Jisoo’s death-glares and instead, chortled at the sight of his brother seething. “Help me choose an English name! Danila and his friends said it’s about time I adopted one. We’ve already been in the Americas for eight whole months!”

 

_Eight months?_

 

Eight months had already flown by?

 

The winsome vampire sighed, feeling guilty due to what Ka-yee had said being true. They really had not spoken in weeks, because he’d been too busy tracking down Mr. Gonzo and the book. He didn’t even know what Ka-yee had been up to the entire time. Without purposely doing so, he’d neglected his own brother, and that fact made his heart ache unpleasantly.

 

So Jisoo leaned back into his chair and crossed his legs, obliging Ka-yee’s modest request. It was the least he could do after being absent for longer than necessary. “Alright then. Are there any names you fancy at the moment?” 

 

“Joshua sounds like a nice name, just like the character in your book,” Ka-yee said, pulling out the _Biblia_ from between a crowded shelf. He opened the book precisely at Numbers 13:16 and pointed at the name as it first appeared in the chapter. His little brother had obviously been going through the scriptures, and Jisoo wondered what else he’d been reading.

 

The winsome vampire raised a brow and frowned. “Compared to Moses, Joshua was unremarkable.”

 

“But Joshua was the one who led their people to the promised land!” Goo Hara’s youngest continued eagerly. “Joshua literally means ‘to save’. I think that in itself makes the name so beautiful.”

 

“Joshua was burdened by his own moniker. Up until his last breath, all he did was think about his people’s salvation. Don’t encumber yourself with the same fate.”

 

Ka-yee grimaced and the glimmer in his grey orbs reflected the slightest bit of contumacy. “It doesn’t seem so bad. If it were to help those in need, such a fate is well worth the pain.”

 

That had been the first warning sign, and Jisoo should have stopped him right then and there, shackled him and shipped him back to Korea for his own sake. But Jisoo hadn’t predicted the horrors that were to come. If he had, he could have saved Ka-yee.

 

If only he had been a better brother, Ka-yee would still be alive and well.

 

Jisoo rolled his eyes and stood up. His brother always had this obsession with becoming a champion of the indigent, and he could only blame it on Ka-yee’s need to become something more than a show pony, a pretty but useless thing only meant to be fawned over. Their mother created Ka-yee for the sole purpose of parading him around like a prized pet, just as Choi Siwon did with his “perfect” fledgling, Minho. “I know what you’re thinking. You want to return the dark-skinned prisoners to their homeland.”

 

“No, I want to give them weapons against their oppressors,” Ka-yee responded darkly.

 

And there it was - the flicker of fire in his smoldering grey eyes. Jisoo had seen it, and it made his skin crawl and his stomach churn with trepidation.

 

“ _Ka…Ka-yee_ ,” his voice shook slightly, but his tone was still full of warning. “I told you not to-”

 

“I’m just kidding, hyung!” his brother chuckled, all smiley and innocent. Just like that, the flicker had been snuffed, not even leaving a trace of its malicious fumes.

 

“Just kidding you say…” Jisoo’s voice trailed off, regarding their youngest with caution as Ka-yee returned the _Biblia_ back to its original position.

 

He liked to think that he knew his brother well enough to know Ka-yee would never try something so foolish.  He wanted to shove all the warning bells and all the nagging voices to the very back of his mind, because Ka-yee would _never_ do anything stupid. 

 

Never. 

 

Jisoo had taught him better than that.

 

“Fine then,” the Chinese vampire’s voice drawled as he grinned back at his older brother. “I guess I’ll go with _Jackson_.”

 

That virtuous smile was all it took to have Jisoo reeling back all negative thoughts polluting his head.

 

It was fine. They were going to be fine. 

 

Ka-yee was just being his mischievous self, messing with Jisoo like he always did. That was all there was to it.

 

Of all his siblings, Ka-yee had always been the gentlest and the most selfless, and it would be such a selfish act for him to do something that would worry Jisoo. 

 

He trusted his little brother. 

 

There was _only_ trust and good faith between them. 

 

So Jisoo beamed back as brightly as he could and denied himself any sort of virulent doubt. 

 

“Jackson is a fine name. Very European. _Blimey!_ _You’ll blend right in with the British! Sir Jacksy Wanker at your service!_ ” he teased kittenishly, words thick with an exaggerated English accent.

 

Jackson doubled-over in laughter and tackled his brother into a stranglehold. Jisoo’s eyes crinkled as he chuckled and slipped out of Jackson’s arms with incredible ease. Using his greater strength, he spun around and pulled his brother into a tight hug. 

 

The younger vampire suspired in contentment, easing into their embrace with a loving smile. “Thank you, hyung…for always being there for me. For always protecting me…sometimes even from our own mother.”

 

“Of course, Ka-yee… _Jackson_ … You are my youngest brother. I’ll always protect you no matter what.”

 

Jisoo really thought he had been protecting his brother, and he also thought they were past secrets and lies.

 

But he had been terribly wrong.

 

Because on the night of the new moon, the slaves of New York Port had all been turned into vampires and wreaked havoc under a revolt started by their leader - Jackson Wang.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It took the Western death dealers eleven days to exterminate the entire town and scorch everything to the ground. Two hundred and twenty-three men, a hundred and two women, and fifty-four children had been mauled to death by their undead vassals. Their bodies had to be accounted for and mass-cremated, with all the other survivors burned alive with them - all to cover up the brutal massacre that took place. 

 

The vampire slaves, bitten and sired by Jackson, were captured and immolated beneath the sun’s rays without a trial, and their master had been forced to watch each and every one of them go up in smoke. 

 

By the time Goo Hara and the Queen of Seoul arrived, the only task left was to punish Ka-yee for his crimes. The Great Vampire King of the West, Julien, entrusted Seolhyun with this undertaking, and she swore to fulfill his execution in their homeland. 

 

They locked Ka-yee up beneath the ship’s deck, chained like a wild animal and starved to near-death as they sailed east. Jisoo had not been allowed to see him, no matter how much he begged their mother.

 

Once they returned to Korea, their house received the mark of disgrace. They were branded as pariahs, with all the generations after them repudiated any royal position, and Goo Hara had never been so ashamed of her own child. Ka-yee was displayed in the Queen’s court, fettered to a post and completely naked, as a final act of chastisement before he was to die. 

 

Their mother, consumed with absolute rage, tore into Ka-yee’s face with her claws over and over until he could hardly be recognized, and Jisoo could do nothing to stop her but weep and plead for his brother’s exoneration.

 

“Please, mother, stop it!” Jisoo cried, stubbornly pulling at the sleeves of her blood-soaked hanbok. 

 

It was history repeating itself all over again, with him incessantly screaming and bawling as his maker punished yet another one of his younger siblings. His heart may have stopped beating centuries ago, but it still blistered and ached as if it were sentient. 

 

“It’s all my fault! I let this happen! Don’t hurt him! _Hurt me!_ Hurt me, and kill me if you must!”

 

She pushed him away, and Jisoo toppled to the ground. In his anguish, he grabbed onto the ends of her dress, forehead pressed to the ground, and continued his desperate imploring. “Please, please, please, mother! Let me take his place! Let me take his penance! Please! Please! Please!”

 

The death dealers had to drag him away by force and throw him out the gates of the Queen’s palace, and Jisoo thought that was the last he’d ever see of his little brother.

 

But as always, life was not that merciful.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Ka-yee escaped his bounds before he could be placed upon the gallows and killed by sunlight. Whether someone had helped him or not, no one really knew, but all fingers were pointing at Jisoo. No one else would have helped a criminal escape, except maybe his own brother who endlessly begged for his release.

 

Jisoo had been prepared to take on the blame and take on second death. If it was so Ka-yee could be free, he did not care what would happen to himself.

 

The Queen’s liegemen tortured him for months, waiting for him to crack and reveal Ka-yee’s whereabouts. He could not give them what they wanted, because he did not know where his own brother was.

 

“My clever boy, do you really not know where your brother is?” Hara whispered into his ears, her pleasant tone feigned with sugary sweetness.

 

Jisoo said nothing and could only stare blankly…soullessly at the darkness before him. He was drained of blood and stabbed with silver. His body was so painful that he could not speak or move or think.

 

“Smart, cunning, curious little Jisoo, you would know where Ka-yee is.”

 

She poked at the center of his forehead, expecting him to answer, when it was so obvious that he could not.

 

“Yes? No?!” she howled hideously, tugging at his hair and forcing him to look at her. “Say something, you fucking useless child!”

 

Hara raised a clawed hand, ready to tear into him just as she had done to her other disgraceful fledglings. But her movements halted before she could strike, and she released his hair and put her talons away. 

 

“Alright…” her honeyed voice was back, and her face was once again the perfect visage of a beautiful and chaste young woman. “If you really don’t know… _then I command you to find your brother._ ”

 

His mother jerked the silver swords out of his limbs, and Jisoo’s eyes glistened like rubies as he stood up slowly.

 

“ _And when you find him…I want you to kill him… Don’t bother coming back home until you do…if you want to see Seungcheol, Tzuyu, and Nicha again, I suggest you do it quickly._ ”

 

Against his will, Jisoo’s body started moving forward, with only the intent to fulfill his maker’s desire. 

 

His mother was right. 

 

Jisoo was smart, and Jisoo was cunning.

 

His mind may have been fogged by her command, but it had not dulled even the slightest bit. It didn’t take even a week before he found his brother hiding in the Suri mountains of Anyang.

 

Ka-yee had smiled when he saw Jisoo, but his beautiful grin quickly disappeared when the winsome vampire bared his fangs and tore into his flesh.

 

When Jisoo finally woke up from his maker’s spell, there was blood all over his mouth and all over his hands. The dark liquid caked his clothes and smelled sickening and pungent. The echoes of harrowed cries could still be heard in the suffocating air around him. Or maybe, he was hearing nothing, and he was only descending into madness, as the realization of what he’d done drowned him in devastation. Mangled body parts and innards littered the ground he sat on, and right in front of him was Ka-yee’s dismembered torso. 

 

“K-Ka…Ka-yee?” Jisoo’s voice cracked. He couldn’t hold back the trembling in his fingers, nor the outpour of tears from his eyes, as he slowly reached down to cradle his brother’s face. “Ka-yee…Ka-yee! I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…”

 

“L-Let…let me fix this! I can p-put you ba-back together!” He scrambled for Ka-yee’s limbs, but it was already too late. One by one, they started disintegrating into little piles of ash. “No…No, no, no, no, no….”

 

Jisoo pulled at his own hair and gritted his teeth. He no longer knew what to do but scoop the ashes closer to his brother’s torso, and all the while, his tears would not cease. “It’s okay…it’s okay, Ka-yee. I’ll fix you! Hyung will fix you…”

 

_Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave your hyung._

 

“M-My name…is Jackson Wang,” the dying vampire muttered weakly, coughing out more blood and heaving for breath. “I…am…not Ka-yee. I…am…more tha-than w-what…she m-made me for…”

 

“Why did you have to be a hero?! What was so wrong about living without hardship? What was so wrong with living peacefully?!”

 

Jackson wasn’t sobbing like Jisoo was. His expression was serene and almost joyous, like he wasn’t about to disappear from the world forever. “I…just w-wanted…to…b-be like…you…”

 

“ _M-Me? What are you saying?_ ” Jisoo was laughing and crying now. He’d finally fallen into unsoundness. There was nothing left inside him to call sane. “ _Why would you…why would you ever want to be like me???_ ”

 

“I wanted to save people…just like you, Jisoo-hyung…”

 

Save people? Who was saving people? 

 

It certainly wasn’t him.

 

“Ka-yee…Jackson, you- I’m not…I’m-” 

 

_I’m not a savior._

 

Without sadness and without resentment, Jackson smiled at his brother one last time. “T-Thank you…for saving me, h-hyung… Tha-Thank y-you…for being…m-my savior…”

 

_I’m not a savior._

 

_I’m not a savior…_

 

Jisoo hadn’t saved anyone. 

 

He was feeble and inutile. He was weaker than a crippled human. 

 

What good was immortality and all its gifts if he could not save his own brother from dying? 

 

As Jackson’s body crumbled into dust between his fingertips, Jisoo promised himself that this would be the last time.

 

This would be the last time he would cry over another dead sibling…

 

…And the last time he would ever become his maker’s mindless stooge.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The storm rained down on a rundown tavern, with a single bartender and a lone customer there to enliven the dimly lit pub. The both of them were already dead though, one more so than the other, so there wasn’t much they could do to make the place any livelier.

 

It was past midnight in the countryside of Val Chisone, where tales of the dead struck fear in the hearts of villagers and weary travelers. None of them dared to come out at this hour, and anyone who did never returned home. 

 

Kim Taehyung gingerly sipped at his chalice of blood in woe, his tender heart yearning for the presence of a lost love. All he had instead was a dead barman to keep him company, but at least the man’s blood tasted decent enough to satisfy his thirst.

 

“Still can’t find your precious Jungkookie?” a voice queried from behind him.

 

The lonely vampire smirked. He didn’t even have to look to find out who was intruding on his wallows. “Are you sure you’re not a dog, Jisoo? You’re awfully good at tracking down people who don’t want to be bothered.”

 

Jisoo sat down in front of Taehyung, eyes gaunt and vacant, lips paler than they’ve ever been before. 

 

That was what happened when vampires didn’t feed for a while. 

 

“It pleases me to see you look this way. I’ve never seen you so ugly, Jisoo!” Taehyung taunted his guest in delight. 

 

But Jisoo had taken the fun out of it by simply peering back at him without emotion, not even bothering to jibe in return. This was not how their usual verbal jousts went. 

 

It was irritating him, because Jisoo was _his_ nemesis, and it wasn’t amusing if _he_ wasn’t the one making his own enemy miserable. “I’m sorry, did I say ‘dog’? I meant to say _bitch_. You look like a fucking bitch, Jisoo. What the hell is wrong with you?!”

 

Jisoo’s bottom lip trembled slightly, but besides that, he offered no other reaction.

 

“…Ka-yee is dead,” he answered aloofly.

 

Taehyung paused, pursing his lips, before nodding in understanding and pushing his chalice toward Jisoo. “You should drink this then. You look like you really need it.”

 

His companion shook his head and shifted the container back to its owner. “I don’t want it.”

 

“What do you want from me then? _Pity_?” he growled in annoyance, still hoping to get some sort of riposte out of his longtime adversary. 

 

But all he got was hollowness. 

 

“Not this time, my old friend,” he responded vacuously.

 

 _Friend?_ How laughable. Jisoo had most likely lost his mind if he was finally calling Taehyung his friend.

 

“Then why have you come here?”

 

The nomadic vampire was getting impatient. He did not like this particular version of Jisoo. He was sickening to look at - all frail and meek like he wasn’t a monster in disguise. What was Goo Hara’s child doing here if not to somehow torment him?

 

If Jisoo wasn’t here to make his life hell, there could only be one other thing he wanted - a concordat. 

 

“I need you to get some blood for me.”

 

Finally, an answer, but not one he’d been looking for.

 

“Blood? Really, Jisoo?!” Taehyung retorted peevishly.

 

He would have left if he hadn’t felt a chill run down his spine as Jisoo’s face darkened with unuttered depravity, and he would have been lying if he said it hadn’t made him excited to feel such an infernal aura coming from the vampire before him. 

 

“Taehyung, I need you to find a man named Holland…” Jisoo spoke eerily, eyes wide and unblinking and completely black. “…and I need you to get the blood of a demon from him…”

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was really sad writing this. Jisoo really really loved Jackson :( and I know this isn't Mingyu's backstory yet but this chapter was very necessary to the plot going into his creation. You guys will also get an explanation as to why Joshua needs demon blood, and that's going to open up the door for one of COE 3's antagonists. I'm really sorry that COE 2 is becoming longer than expected, but I hope this is also a good thing, because I know some of you guys really like Joshua too. After this, we won't have that much of him in COE 3. Which btw, help me out, guys. What do you think COE 3's title should be? Comment down below! Thank you again for all the people still reading this colossal fic. I know there wasn't any soongyu at all in this chapter but don't fret! They'll be back in the next chapter, and COE 3 will be focusing solely on them again. I just really want everyone to see how Joshua got his name, how complex his character is, and why he acts the way he does.
> 
> Anyway, here's another set of Fun Facts!!!  
> 1.) There will be two special prequels for COE in the future for JiHan and JunHao. They will be tentatively titled - COE: Starlight Gaze and COE: The Healer. Y'all know which is which :)  
> 2.) In the COE universe, Wonwoo used to have a massive crush on Joshua, but he never acted upon his feelings 'cuz JEONGHAN.  
> 3.) "The Hero" who wrote the book is Jaejoong from JYJ.  
> 4.) Joshua's other siblings are Hayoung, Donghyuk, Sohee, and Soo-ah. Sadly, they've all perished.  
> 5.) Mr. Gonzo is Dok2. (Did y'all like Samuel's little cameo in this chapter?)  
> 6.) Another relationship that's going to shine in COE 3 is VerKwan. Ohhh shit I'm excited for some VerKwan.  
> 7.) One more relationship in COE3...i just wanna say LOVE TRIANGLE!!!!!
> 
> See you guys in the next chapter!


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